By Joe Burnell, Managing Director, Vital WiFi, a Wifinity company.
For the 75,000 offshore vessels already relying on Starlink for connectivity, recent changes to Starlink’s pricing model have brought an unwelcome shift. Many rigs and vessels currently operate on a 5TB allowance plan but will now pay in incremental ‘blocks’ for every 50GB – or more likely the higher 500GB blocks – above the threshold.
Crucially, the option of unlimited data is no longer available. Operators who previously filled their boots on this package without monitoring usage will now have to keep a close watch on consumption. All data is metered, and they’ll be billed in these chargeable blocks.
Let’s break this down.
Historically, offshore operators could rely on predictable pricing to support their remote crews. Now, with tiered pricing kicking in, venues without a strategy in place to manage bandwidth will find costs far harder to control. As maritime digitalisation has advanced at pace, many critical onboard operations now need levels of offshore high-bandwidth connectivity. And then of course, there is the importance of crew welfare.
For fleet managers and rig operators, the challenge isn’t about getting internet access on-board. It’s now about providing this connectivity without blowing the budget.
Of course, there is a balance to strike. The aim is not to limit internet access so strictly that crew morale suffers. Instead, it’s about stretching your allowance as far as it can go and making sure everyone on board gets their fair share.
The Implications of the Starlink Price Rise
Without visibility, unmanaged bandwidth could create serious budget overruns. As more data is consumed, the cost, will only increase – pushing spend higher than planned and making it harder to forecast monthly outgoings. Without visibility into who on board is using what, where and when, operators risk penalising all their crew for the excessive usage of a few.
In many cases, a lack of user-level control and insights results in wasted bandwidth, abuse of services like video streaming and operational inefficiencies. The evolution of Starlink’s pricing is not a cost issue – it’s a management one.
A Strategic Approach to Bandwidth Management
Vital WiFi is helping offshore operators respond to these changes with a two-pronged strategy combining smarter bandwidth management and better commercial buying decisions:
- Our platform provides operators with visibility to manage both WiFi service performance and cost control. It enables precise, dynamic allocation of bandwidth – not just across vessels, but down to the individual crew member. Using the Vital Portal, operators can set daily, refreshing bandwidth limits per user or user type. This ensures that allowances are distributed fairly, adapting in real time to crew rotations and population changes.
- We recommend against letting crew self-register multiple accounts. It’s a common loophole for bandwidth abuse. Our system integrates with Microsoft Entra ID, Active Directory and other corporate access systems to restrict users to a single, verified account that’s linked to their work credentials. This not only limits misuse but also improves auditability and fairness.
- Tiered access further allows bandwidth to be prioritised based on user role/type – for example, giving senior or operational staff more consistent access than leisure users. Additionally, high-bandwidth applications like streaming can be throttled or restricted during peak periods to conserve resources. You can call this gold/silver/bronze, but we can work with you to define your cohorts and allocation.
- Buy smarter: For some operators, a shift in the way they procure data, or at least a rethink about how they distribute it onboard, could cut their costs dramatically. In some cases, fleets could save 50% by structuring their data plans differently.
Flexibility Without Compromise
Our platform is dynamic, meaning it flexes as the number of people onboard changes, with seamless API integration into crew management systems like EPIC POB or other PMS platforms.
This allows vessels to get as close as possible to their allowance limit without crossing it, minimising cost without compromising the crew’s online experience. The system adapts in real time, with operators able to watch usage and make changes on the fly. It’s bandwidth control without the overhead.
A Consultative, Commercial Edge
Beyond our tech, we’re offering a consultative service to review your current crew internet setup and suggest smarter ways to buy. We’re not here to sell you more data but to help you use what you’ve already got more effectively, more fairly and more affordably.
If you’re navigating the challenges of the new Starlink price rises and need help managing data usage across your fleet, talk to us. For more information or to start a consultancy conversation, visit: https://www.vitalwifi.com.