Starlink Waitlist Expands Again. How Long Before You Can Buy One

For the second time in three months, Starlink has added multiple regions where new residential customers are put on a waitlist. On Starlink’s availability map, these areas are marked as “sold out.” The notable regions added are sections of east Florida and east North Carolina.

It’s interesting to note that these regions were heavily impacted by back-to-back hurricanes last Fall. Starlink offered free service to customers in those regions until the end of the year, so there was likely a big influx of customers. Another area affected is central Arizona, surrounding Phoenix.

Waitlists to get Starlink equipment and service were common during the early days of the satellite internet provider. Starlink needed to roll out the service slowly to customers as it built out its constellation of low-earth orbit satellites and constructed ground stations that connected the satellites to the internet. 

Throughout 2023 and most of 2024, Starlink all but eliminated waitlists, and it seemed like anyone could get a Starlink dish and service anywhere. However, Starlink has exploded in popularity and gone from about 2.2 million worldwide users at the beginning of 2024 to more than 4.6 million today, according to Starlink. In November, it reimplemented the waitlists in select areas, including in southern and central California, Washington, Oregon, and Texas. Even if you purchase a Starlink kit from a third-party retailer, you won’t be able to activate residential service in the sold-out regions.

Starlink claims that areas are sold out of service because they are at capacity for residential service. Even though about 7,000 satellites orbit the earth, each can only communicate with a limited number of dishes at once without sacrificing performance—and with millions of customers, they’ve got their work cut out for them. 

Some users may experience unusual slowdowns or interruptions because too many other nearby Starlink users are also using the internet. Another method Starlink sometimes uses to control usage in high-traffic areas is to apply a one-time “congestion charge” for new customers. However, since they’ve completely stopped providing new services in these areas, the bandwidth is at its limit.

Starlink does not disclose how long you will be on a waitlist—not even an estimation. Unfortunately, the previous areas that were marked as sold out remain unchanged, and there doesn’t seem to be anyone online reporting that they’ve moved off the waitlist and could order a Starlink kit and activate service. Some users online claimed they were on a waiting list for a year in the early days of Starlink.

To be added to the waitlist, you must pay a $100 deposit. Starlink will email you as soon as you can fully purchase a kit. After getting an email message, you must confirm your purchase within seven days. Otherwise, your deposit will be canceled and refunded.

Starlink has stated that it is continually working to improve network capacity. However, it's unknown if that means the need for more satellites or improved technology in order to provide service for its growing customer base. 

You can use Starlink in the sold-out regions by signing up for a Roam plan instead of Residential. Roam is the portable version of Starlink, which can be used globally and even while in motion.

The trade-off, however, is that an Unlimited Roam plan is $165 per month as opposed to the $120 per month Residential plan. Starlink dishes on Roam plans are also given less bandwidth priority than those on a fixed-location plan. Since you’ll be using it in an area that’s already congested, you’ll likely experience significantly reduced speeds.

Starlink isn’t the only satellite internet service provider or the only one tailored to rural locations with limited options. Hughesnet and Viasat are satellite internet providers with 99 percent availability in the U.S. and no waitlists. They also have slightly lower monthly costs and don’t require a hefty upfront purchase like Starlink, though both providers’ typical speeds are much lower than Starlink’s.

There are also 5G fixed-wireless providers, the most popular of which are T-Mobile and Verizon. Their availability isn’t as widespread as satellite internet since you need to be within range of a 5G cellular tower. Still, they provide reliable high-speed internet, which is, in many cases, faster than Starlink.