STARBAND TO CEASE OPERATING

STARBAND TO CEASE OPERATING

The party’s over. It’s time to call it a day.

They’ve burst your pretty balloon and taken the moon away.

It’s time to break up the masquerade.

Take off your makeup. The piper must be paid…

Starband will soon be no more. Starband Communications announced that it will cease operating its satellite internet service on September 30. The company says its costs have increased lately. Starband apparently doesn’t believe it can cover the expense by charging higher fees to consumers.

The company is also facing heavy pressure from competitors offering much higher download speeds. Starband’s fastest service, Nova 1500, offers download speeds of up to 1.5 MB/S, and upload speeds of up to 256 KB/S, for $119,99 per month. Residential cable internet speeds average about 10 MB/S.

Bundle Deals welcomes former Starband customers. We are an independent clearing house for all major internet service providers in the United States. Because we are not owned or controlled by any single provider, we can give you objective advice, and can help you find the providers and plans that work best for you.

Starband was founded in 1999 as a joint venture between Gilat Satellite Networks, Microsoft, and Echostar, the parent company of Dish Network. In 2000, Starband began operating the first residential two-way satellite internet service in the United States. Its customers were almost exclusively in suburban and rural areas, where cable and fiber broadband services were absent. In 2002, Starband filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It emerged from bankruptcy the following year. Spacenet, a subsidiary of Gilat, bought it in March 2005, and has owned it ever since.

In announcing its imminent end, Starband said that its dishes and modems will not be compatible with other internet services. Starband says it “…will not be repossessing the equipment. You can dispose of the equipment as you see fit.  “The company offers a web link for information about disposing of the equipment “in an eco-friendly manner”.

Starband customers who shop with Bundle Deals will find several internet service options, most of them offering much higher speeds than Starband does, and at lower prices.

(For any internet service, shop with Bundle Deals. Compare all providers and plans. Then order any service with just one phone call.)