Starlink Brings 10Gbps Internet to the World’s Largest Cruise Ship

Metaverse Planet

September 17, 2025

SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet network is now setting sail on massive ships. In a new development, Starlink has installed a 10Gbps internet connection on Royal Caribbean’s giant cruise ship, Star of the Seas.

SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet network may become a central focus for cruise lines thanks to its latest upgrades. One of the world’s largest cruise ships, the Star of the Seas, is already equipped with a 10 Gbps connection provided by Starlink.

The Star of the Seas, which entered service in August 2025 and is operated by Royal Caribbean International, is among the largest cruise ships in the world, with a capacity of 5,610 passengers and 2,350 crew members. The new Starlink Community Gateway system used on the ship provides a fiber-like connection, but due to shared use, passengers get average speeds of around 10Mbps. This figure is well below the 100-300Mbps speeds offered by traditional Starlink service on land.

Royal Caribbean charges passengers between $18 and $30 per day for internet access. This fee appears to be aimed at covering the high cost of the technology investment. The installation cost for the Starlink Community Gateway is $1.25 million, with a monthly operating cost of $75,000 per Gbps. The Community Gateway technology aims to provide an alternative to fiber infrastructure in remote areas by delivering high bandwidth over Starlink’s global laser satellite network. First tested in 2024, this system was installed on Unalaska Island in Alaska and provided a 10Gbps symmetric data transmission, guaranteeing 99% access for thousands of users.

Starlink first began testing the Community Gateway system in 2024. This technology was offered to service providers who wanted to provide high bandwidth via low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites without the need for underground fiber infrastructure. In July of the same year, the company announced that it had broken a record with an 8Gbps download speed.

During this period, SpaceX also announced its first Gateway installation on a cruise ship, though the specific vessel was not named. The fact that the Star of the Seas entered service last month and its sister ship, the Icon of the Seas, began operations in 2024, suggests that the ship used in the record test was most likely the Star of the Seas.

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