- A Costco in Japan began selling Starlink hardware on Thursday, according to a report from Impress.
- The Costco is reportedly selling Starlink’s standard hardware at a discount until September 11.
- This is reportedly the first time Starlink hardware has been sold in a physical store.
Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has begun selling its products in physical retail outlets for the first time, according to social media posts and a report in Impress, a Japanese publication.
On Thursday, a Costco store that recently opened in Kadoma, in the Osaka Prefecture of Japan, reportedly began selling Starlink’s standard hardware, according to a report from Impress. Costco and Starlink did not respond to Insider’s request for comment.
On its website, Starlink says its standard hardware is best for everyday internet usage like making video calls, online gaming, and streaming, but it also offers more high-performance hardware that allows customers to use the internet even when they’re on-the-go.
The report noted that according to Starlink this is the first time its products have been available in a physical store. In time, the hardware will be available in 32 other stores, the report noted.
The Costco in Kadoma, Osaka will sell the kit for ¥36,500 or around $250, according to Impress. As part of the promotion, customers will also receive ¥13200 or around $91 that can be applied to Starlink’s monthly usage fee, Impress noted. The usage credits can be applied to Starlink’s Residential mode, which is geared towards fixed locations, and the Roam mode, which can be used anywhere in the world, Impress said. Starlink’s hardware is also available for purchase on Costco’s website for those in Japan.
Starlink — which played an important role in helping Ukraine overcome Russian cyberattacks last year— aims at providing internet service to users in remote locations. The company said it had Starlink had over 1.5 million subscribers as of May, and the service is available in over 48 states and 55 countries. The service has become so sought after that people have even started renting out Starlink kits for $25-$30 a day on Facebook Marketplace in recent months.
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