Starlink Canada — Plans, Prices & Speed

The Canadian government has defined broadband internet as a minimum of 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload — and set a goal of connecting 98% of Canadians at those speeds by 2026. Starlink already meets and exceeds that target in every province and territory. Opensignal research confirms Starlink outperforms all fixed wireless alternatives in rural Canada, making it the most significant rural connectivity solution since telephone lines. Here is what matters most before you decide.

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  How much does Starlink cost per month in Canada? C$70/month (100 Mbps plan, select areas) · C$90/month (200 Mbps, select areas) · C$140/month (Residential Max, up to 400 Mbps, available nationwide) · No annual contract on any plan · Promotional rates as low as C$39–$49/month for first few months in eligible areas

  Starlink overhauled its Canadian pricing in January 2026, introducing a tiered system for the first time. The entry-level Residential 100 Mbps plan runs C$70/month and the mid-tier Residential 200 Mbps plan is C$90/month — both available only where Starlink has confirmed enough network capacity for your postal code. The Residential Max plan at C$140/month is available everywhere Starlink serves Canada and provides the best speeds and highest network priority. For travellers and cottage owners, Roam plans start at C$70/month for 100 GB of mobile data. None of these plans require an annual contract — you can pause, cancel, or restart service any time through the Starlink app. Promotional pricing has been aggressive: in April 2026 Starlink dropped entry plans to as low as C$49/month for the first four months, and as recently as May 2026 some areas saw C$39/month introductory rates for the first three months. Always check starlink.com/ca with your specific postal code for current availability and promotions, as pricing and plan access vary by region.
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  How much is the Starlink hardware kit in Canada? Standard kit: C$499 upfront (or as low as C$249 during sales) · Starlink Mini (portable): C$249 (new Roam subscribers get C$50 off, making it ~C$199) · No monthly rental fee — you own the hardware · Provincial taxes apply on top of hardware cost

  Getting started with Starlink requires purchasing the hardware kit outright — there is no ongoing equipment rental fee. The Standard Kit includes the satellite dish (called Dishy), a Wi-Fi router, a mounting tripod, and a 23-metre cable with proprietary connectors. Typical retail price is C$499, though Starlink has run promotions cutting the hardware to C$249 for new customers. The Starlink Mini is a backpack-sized portable dish introduced in Canada in mid-2024 and now priced around C$249, with new Roam subscribers qualifying for a C$50 activation benefit. Saskatchewan and Manitoba customers benefit from regional pricing with hardware as low as C$99 due to Starlink’s excess network capacity in those provinces. Additional mounting accessories — roof mounts, pole mounts, and longer cable runs — cost C$35–$150 extra depending on your installation needs. A basic ground-level setup costs nothing beyond the kit; a professional roof mount installation runs C$250–$600. Most people complete a basic self-install in 30 to 60 minutes using the Starlink app’s built-in sky obstruction checker.
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  How fast is Starlink internet in Canada? Typical real-world download speeds: 50–220 Mbps · Upload: 10–20 Mbps · Latency: 20–60 ms (versus 600+ ms for old-style satellite) · CRTC broadband standard is 50/10 Mbps — Starlink meets it everywhere · Enough for 4K streaming, video calls, online banking, and remote work simultaneously

  Starlink uses low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites approximately 550 km above the ground — far closer than the geostationary satellites older providers used, which sat at 35,000 km and caused that infuriating half-second delay on every phone call or video conference. Because of its orbital altitude, Starlink delivers latency of 20 to 60 milliseconds in Canada — dramatically better than the 600+ millisecond lag of legacy satellite internet, and perfectly adequate for video calls, streaming, and online banking. Opensignal’s independent research confirms Starlink’s download speeds in rural Canada outpace all fixed wireless access alternatives, even after some speed decline from growing subscriber numbers. In practice, most Canadian residential users experience between 50 and 220 Mbps download depending on their plan tier, time of day, local network congestion, and whether any trees or structures partially block their dish’s view of the sky. The CRTC’s minimum broadband standard of 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload — the threshold the federal government uses to define adequate internet access — is met by Starlink in virtually every Canadian location where it operates.
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  Does Starlink work in Canadian winters and bad weather? Yes — the dish has a built-in electric heater that melts snow and ice automatically · Rated to operate reliably at temperatures down to –30°C · Heavy snowstorms may briefly slow speeds while the heater catches up · Rain and clouds cause minor, temporary signal degradation · Most Canadian users report stable service year-round

  One of the most common concerns about satellite internet in Canada is whether a dish mounted outdoors can handle prairie winters, Maritime ice storms, or the deep freeze of northern Ontario. Starlink designed for exactly this: the dish includes built-in electric heating elements that automatically activate whenever snow or ice accumulates, melting buildup without any action from you. The hardware is weather-sealed and rated for reliable operation down to –30°C — temperatures reached in most Canadian provinces at least a few nights each winter. In extremely heavy snowfall, the heater may temporarily fall behind accumulation before catching up, causing brief speed dips. Off-grid and solar-powered setups should account for the extra power draw during heavy snow events. Rain and cloud cover cause minor, temporary signal degradation — similar in effect to what satellite TV experiences in a downpour, though Starlink’s LEO technology handles weather considerably better than old geostationary satellite systems. The vast majority of Canadian Starlink users report stable, consistent service throughout all seasons, including in communities that regularly see –40°C wind chills.
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  Is Starlink available everywhere in Canada, including the far north? Yes — Starlink covers all provinces and territories including Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut · Particularly valuable where Bell/Rogers/Telus have no cable or fibre infrastructure · Canada is one of Starlink’s 5 largest global markets · Always verify your specific postal code at starlink.com/ca — some areas have waitlists due to capacity limits

  Canada’s geography — vast distances, sparse rural populations, and extreme climates in the north — makes it one of the countries where satellite internet delivers the most life-changing improvement. Starlink covers the entire country including all three territories, with particularly strong value in communities where the only previous internet options were dial-up, severely throttled DSL, or expensive LTE data plans with tiny caps. The community of Pikangikum in northwestern Ontario — one of the first Indigenous communities connected to Starlink — saw speeds jump from 2 Mbps to over 100 Mbps essentially overnight. Canada’s federal government has identified connecting 98% of Canadians to broadband by 2026 and 100% by 2030 as a national priority, and Starlink plays a central role in bridging the gap in areas where fibre or cable would cost tens of thousands of dollars per household to deploy. Availability varies by postal code — some high-demand areas have capacity waitlists, while others can be activated within days of ordering. Always check starlink.com/ca with your exact postal code for current availability, plan options, and estimated shipping timelines before purchasing.
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  What are the three biggest disadvantages of Starlink in Canada? 1. Higher monthly cost than urban cable or fibre · 2. Upfront hardware purchase required (C$249–$499) · 3. Speeds can fluctuate with congestion, weather, or obstructions · Additional: politically sensitive — Ontario cancelled a C$100M Starlink contract in 2025 over Canada-U.S. trade tensions; Telesat Lightspeed may offer a Canadian-owned alternative by 2027

  Starlink is genuinely transformative for rural Canadians but it is not without drawbacks. The first and most common complaint is cost: C$70–$140/month is higher than what urban Canadians pay for cable or fibre internet from Bell, Rogers, or Telus — though those services simply do not exist in rural and remote areas where Starlink operates. The second disadvantage is the hardware purchase requirement — unlike cable internet, you cannot just plug in a modem; you pay C$249–$499 upfront for the dish and router. The third disadvantage is speed variability: Starlink’s speeds are not as consistent as fibre, fluctuating with network congestion (especially during evenings), weather events, and local obstructions like trees growing into the dish’s field of view. There is also a political dimension unique to Canada: Ontario cancelled a C$100 million Starlink deployment contract in 2025 citing Canada-U.S. trade tensions, leaving thousands of rural households in limbo. The CRTC is also actively debating whether Starlink should receive northern internet subsidies. A domestic alternative — Telesat’s Lightspeed constellation — has received C$2.4 billion in federal funding but does not expect to serve residential customers until 2027 at the earliest, meaning Starlink remains the only real option for most rural and remote Canadians today.
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  Can I use Starlink at my cottage or while travelling in an RV? Yes — Roam plans allow mobile use anywhere in Canada · Roam 100 GB: C$70/month · Roam Unlimited: C$170/month · Starlink Mini (C$199–$249) is the best hardware for travel — it fits in a backpack · Works for camping, RVs, boats, seasonal properties, and remote work travel · No extra activation fee to switch between fixed and roam use

  One of Starlink’s most popular features in Canada is its Roam plan, which allows you to take your dish anywhere in the country — and in some plans, across North America. The Starlink Mini is purpose-built for this use case: at roughly 30 × 26 centimetres and weighing just 1.4 kg, it fits in a laptop bag or backpack and can be set up at a remote campsite, mounted on an RV roof, or placed on a dock at a lakeside cottage in minutes. Roam plans do not require a fixed address, making them ideal for seasonal properties where you spend part of the year and do not want to maintain a residential subscription year-round. The Roam 100 GB plan at C$70/month provides 100 GB of priority data before speeds are throttled; the Roam Unlimited plan at C$170/month removes that cap. Residential Max subscribers can also receive a free Starlink Mini Kit as an add-on, enabling a second portable connection for travel without a separate hardware purchase. Cottage owners who want Starlink only during the summer months can pause residential service during off-season months — the account stays active and your hardware remains connected to your account for reactivation whenever you return.
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  How do I install Starlink — is it hard to set up? Most people complete basic setup in 30 to 60 minutes · The kit includes everything for ground-level or kickstand installation · Download the Starlink app first — it has a sky obstruction checker using your phone’s camera · For roof or pole mounting, optional — costs C$0–$100 in DIY parts or C$250–$600 with a professional installer · The dish self-aligns automatically and requires no technical knowledge to activate

  Starlink is designed for self-installation, and the vast majority of new customers get online without professional help. The kit includes the dish, Wi-Fi router, a 23-metre cable with proprietary connectors, and a kickstand mount for ground-level placement. Before placing the dish, download the free Starlink app and use its built-in obstruction checker — you point your phone at the sky where you plan to mount the dish and it shows you in real time whether any trees, chimneys, or structures would interrupt the signal. The dish needs a roughly 100-degree unobstructed view of the northern sky. Plug everything in, power on the router, connect your devices to the Starlink Wi-Fi network, and you are online — typically within five minutes of first power-on. The dish finds its satellite alignment automatically; do not move it during the first few minutes. For permanent installations on rooftops or poles — which deliver better long-term performance by reducing obstructions — Starlink sells official mounting hardware starting at C$35. If you are not comfortable working on a roof, a professional installer typically charges C$250 to $600 for a full mount, cable run, and seal. About 65% of new Starlink owners in Canada complete their own installation successfully in under an hour.

Starlink overhauled its Canadian pricing in January 2026 and introduced multiple tiers for the first time. Here is what each plan delivers in plain language — and who it is right for.

Use the buttons below to search Google Maps for Starlink coverage, local installers, and electronics stores in your area. Always verify your postal code directly at starlink.com/ca for the most accurate availability and current plan pricing.