SpaceX Brings Huge Starlink Discounts to Memphis Amid Data Center Controversy

Live in Memphis, Tennessee, or Southaven, Mississippi? Interested in Starlink? You can now get a free dish and half-off residential plans, courtesy of SpaceX. Current Starlink customers in the region will have this discount automatically applied to their accounts. This only applies to home internet, not to Starlink Roam plans. 

XAI Memphis' X account announced the surprise promotion. There was no specific reason given for the deal except "As SpaceX continues to invest in the area, SpaceX is offering our neighbors in the Memphis area no upfront hardware costs on Residential Starlink kits for new customers and a discount on home internet service plans for both new and existing customers."

Memphis and Southaven are home to xAI's Colossus data centers, which are now all part of SpaceX. The discount could be considered a form of synergy between the two newly merged companies. The incentive comes at a time when data centers across the country are facing scrutiny from neighboring communities that criticize the space they occupy and the noise and pollution from on-site generators. xAI is facing a lawsuit from the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), which claims that its data centers' gas-powered turbines violate the law. 

While Starlink is typically marketed for rural areas with few internet options, this discount applies to a metropolitan area with several options, including fiber. It's not hard to perceive the special discount for Memphis residents as an attempt to build goodwill toward the community. 

The discount is automatically applied at checkout on the website to the purchase of a new Starlink kit with a monthly plan. The discount is said to apply to the next bill for current customers, according to Starlink. A support page doesn't indicate how long the promotion will be available or whether the discount is limited-time or permanent. 

Keep in mind the restrictions for the promotion. The discount is location-locked, so you'll be unable to simply order a free Starlink in the discount region and take it elsewhere. If it's activated at a different address, you'll be billed the full amount by Starlink.