1372 replies to this topic

[Blair M.]

I just received my notice that my Starlink plan was increasing as per VW's post above, from 50GB to 100GB, and unlimited lower speed after that - this increase in service coming at no additional cost to me.

Because I don't use my Starlink for constantly streaming videos or doomscrolling the internet, this increase will guarantee that I'm always online, anywhere in North America, with high-speed connectivity, and for the fixed fee of CDN$70.00 per month.

 

(I never went over 50GB previously, so 100GB is almost overkill for me).

[Mike K.]

How soon before Canada tries to tax this service, to make it uncompetitive? $70 is a heck of a deal.

[Blair M.]

How soon before Canada tries to tax this service, to make it uncompetitive? $70 is a heck of a deal.

Looking at my invoice, I most definitely already pay PST and GST - so some sort of additional tax wouldn't be impossible, but it would require a change in the law, as well as requiring Starlink's cooperation in adding any additional tax (and then remitting it to the Feds).

 

With no physical presence in Canada, and the link being one that is largely untouchable as it's directly between me and a satellite, even the current PST and GST seems to require Starlinks voluntary participation in collecting, and then remitting it to the Canadian Gov't?

[Victoria Watcher]

I thought with 5G they would just put modem type things on all the poles. Dispense with wires coming to the house.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 15 January 2026 - 06:37 AM.

[Blair M.]

Wired 5G is currently faster than Starlink, but it does require that hardline connectivity in order to maintain that speed.

Running 5G through a modem on a pole would make 5G slower than Starlink, at which point you would have to wonder which would be the better option. 

 

Underlying all of this is that nobody really knows for sure just how fast Musk could make Starlink - in that it's currently being throttled (but by how much, we don't know).

 

Regardless, IMO it's wireless that's the future.

Wired devices will, for most people, vanish. 

[Victoria Watcher]

But even Starlink can’t put enough in space to cover metropolitan areas. So while it might soon be wireless in cities, it’s not coming from space.

[Blair M.]

Starlink will be able to cover everywhere in the world, and everybody who wants internet connectivity when it's fully deployed.

The final tally on the number of satellites planned is around 45,000, compared to around 9500 today. 

 

In future, wired internet may indeed remain a choice, but it definitely won't be a requirement. 

[Victoria Watcher]

It can cover the world but it can’t handle that many subscribers.

Musk says that even at full buildout it can serve less than 1% of the world’s users.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 15 January 2026 - 08:01 AM.

[lanforod]

Home wifi isn't going anywhere. Perhaps how you get the initial Internet signal to it might change over time, but latency is still a thing and fibre is going to beat it probably forever, there is no really fixing wireless attenuation through walls until quantum communications is fully a thing.

LTE/5g also isn't going anywhere, it'll be a long time before smartphones can universally work with satellites for all data.

[Blair M.]

Communication infrastructure in 2036 and beyond will have people looking back to January of 2025 and wondering how we ever even managed with dinosaurs like Shaw and Telus. 

Even Starlink will be seen as an amateurish, somewhat nascent attempt at unlimited high-speed communication made available to every corner of the world. 

 

Quantum comms is just around the corner, after which everything changes, and nothing we take as "state of the art" today will even continue to exist.

 

It's all happening faster than one might imagine, but the popular press makes too much profit distracting the public from the assorted truths that will speak to what the actual future will look like. They accomplish this by focusing our attention's on assorted world conflicts, ICE, Trump, petroleum resources, A.I., and anything else they can drum up to distract the public from the reality of not only where we are now - but where we're actually headed tomorrow. 

 

The only remaining wire coming from a pole into my house in 2026 is one from B.C. Hydro. Once perovskite solar panels (or more likely an as yet discovered technology that's even cheaper and more efficient) become available, that final piece of cable stretching from the pole on the street over to my house will also disappear for good, as it will for every house, in every city, and finally - in every country.

[Victoria Watcher]

Most consumers need nothing over streaming grade speeds. The most complex thing we do is watch a movie or video or TV show.

The rest

is for limited others.

We will see how it plays out.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 15 January 2026 - 01:00 PM.

[Blair M.]

We will see how it plays out.

There's the rub - we probably won't.

For those that are over 50, the unfortunate reality is that we will likely be dead, senile, or otherwise incapacitated by the time things get really interesting.

 

Ride whatever tech-wave you feel comfortable riding I guess, and leave the rest of the plebs to fret about ICE, Trump, A.I. - and whatever else "they" can use to distract us all from the actual reality. 

[Victoria Watcher]

^ Yes!



Starlink

Starting at $70/mo for Fast, Reliable Internet
Get up to 400+ Mbps speeds
Starlink is offering new Residential service plans in Canada delivering high-speed internet designed for every need:

New Residential Plans

Residential 100 Mbps: Reliable, affordable home internet service for seamless connectivity with speeds up to 100 Mbps.

Residential 200 Mbps: Fast, reliable internet service for everyday home use with speeds up to 200 Mbps.
Residential Max: Our best performing home internet service with maximum speeds available—up to 400+ Mbps. With this plan, you can opt in for a free Mini Kit with flexible, discounted service plans to use while traveling, camping, boating, RVing, and more in 150+ countries, markets, and other territories.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 16 January 2026 - 12:27 PM.