{"id":179140,"date":"2025-12-11T23:03:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T23:03:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/179140\/"},"modified":"2025-12-11T23:03:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T23:03:10","slug":"spacex-taps-echostars-ontech-to-install-starlink-dishes-in-the-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/179140\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX Taps EchoStar’s OnTech to Install Starlink Dishes in the US"},"content":{"rendered":"

SpaceX’s spectrum deal with EchoStar<\/a> appears to come with Starlink installation support.<\/p>\n

SpaceX has updated a support page<\/a> on Starlink.com to list OnTech Smart Services as an available installer for its satellite internet service.\u00a0Independent satellite dish technicians reached out to us to note that OnTech, which launched<\/a> in 2019, comes from EchoStar’s Dish Network.<\/p>\n

\"Starlink<\/p>\n

\n (Credit: Starlink.com)\n<\/p>\n

The OnTech business specializes in product installations, which includes sending technicians to set up video doorbells<\/a>, smart home systems, and home security<\/a> systems. Its website currently doesn\u2019t advertise Starlink or satellite dish installs. But if you call OnTech, you’ll hear the option to sign up for Starlink or talk to a customer support agent about the satellite internet service. <\/p>\n

I also sent an email to OnTech customer support, and they indicated that once you purchase Starlink equipment, SpaceX will send you a separate email with a link to set up an OnTech appointment. If that email doesn’t come through, OnTech recommends contacting Starlink.<\/p>\n

Those responses from OnTech are notable since Starlink is known for having poor customer service, though it has been trialing<\/a> a live customer support phone line in the US and Canada.<\/p>\n

SpaceX and Dish Network didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment. But OnTech is a potential new way SpaceX to leverage its tie-up with EchoStar. Last month, EchoStar subsidiary Hughesnet also indicated<\/a> it would recommend its own satellite internet customers to Starlink following its radio spectrum deal with SpaceX.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In return, EchoStar\u2019s Boost Mobile is gaining access to the cellular Starlink service currently available through T-Mobile. In addition, EchoStar is receiving<\/a> up to $11 billion in shares in SpaceX, along with more than $8 billion in cash.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Recommended by Our Editors<\/p>\n

The installation partnership is a bit surprising, though. In 2022, SpaceX campaigned<\/a> to sink Dish’s proposal to use the 12GHz radio spectrum for a 5G cellular network, and the FCC ruled<\/a> in SpaceX\u2019s favor the following year. Since then, EchoStar has effectively abandoned its plans to become the fourth major carrier in the US after selling<\/a> its spectrum to both SpaceX and AT&T.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although it’s relatively easy to set up Starlink<\/a> on your own, some customers have turned to professional installers to permanently place the satellite internet system on the roof of their home or business. In the US, SpaceX began offering official installation services through a contractor, DSI Systems, last year. But independent satellite technicians, and some customers, have alleged that DSI\u2019s work can be shoddy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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About Our Expert<\/p>\n

\"Michael<\/p>\n

Michael Kan<\/p>\n

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Experience<\/p>\n

I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.<\/p>\n

Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service. <\/p>\n

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this year, the FTC forced Avast<\/a> to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation<\/a> with Motherboard.<\/p>\n

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out<\/a> in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how President Trump’s tariffs will affect the industry. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.<\/p>\n


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