Comparing Lightwire and Starlink isn't really about which one costs less this month. It's about who turns up when something breaks, whether your money stays in the country, and how steady the connection is when the weather turns nasty. Here's how the two actually stack up.

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Real people, not a ticket queue

When something goes wrong with Starlink, you're filing a ticket into an app and waiting. When something goes wrong with Lightwire, you're talking to someone in Hamilton who can see your account and knows the Waikato and the Bay of Plenty landscape well enough to guess what's happening before you finish explaining it. If it needs a truck roll, one of our technicians comes to your property — no shipping a replacement dish to yourself and hoping for the best.

Where the money actually goes

Every Lightwire bill helps fund the 140-plus local schools, events, and not-for-profits we support each year. Starlink is a US company — the money leaves the country the moment you pay it. That's not a knock on the technology. It's just where the profit ends up.

Steadier in bad weather

Satellite connections share bandwidth with everyone using the same beam overhead, and heavy rain or a bad storm can add latency right when you need the connection most. Our fixed wireless network runs to Lightwire customers only, on towers we control, which means fewer surprises during a video call or a big file upload.

Try it without the risk

Every Lightwire connection comes with a 30-day risk-free guarantee, so trying it out isn't a gamble either way.

Lightwire vs Starlink

Local internet, or a signal from space?

Both get you online out where the fibre doesn’t reach. Only one has a Waikato-based team down the road and pours its profits straight back into your community.

What matters to you

Home broadband

Starlink

Local NZ support

Real Kiwis on the phone — techs who come to you

App & chat support only, no local team

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When something goes wrong, you talk to a person in the Waikato who knows your setup — not a chatbot in another timezone.

Monthly price

From $79 / month

From $85 / month + $20 hardware rental

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Our plans start lower and there’s no separate box rental added on top of your bill each month.

Setup & hardware

Free professional install

DIY, or paid install around $340

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A qualified installer sets you up properly and checks everything works before they leave — at no extra cost.

Community reinvestment

140+ NZ schools backed — events, funding & free internet

No local community investment

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Ag days, sports events, ongoing funding, free internet and school infrastructure paid for — the profit from your bill goes back into your community.

Where your money goes

Profits reinvested here in Aotearoa

US-owned — revenue heads offshore

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The money you spend with us stays and works in New Zealand, instead of leaving the country.

Latency & ping

Low, stable latency on our fixed network

Higher and weather-affected (satellite)

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A steady connection to the ground network means smoother video calls, gaming and streaming, even when the weather turns.

Tap any row to see what it means for you. Comparison based on publicly available Starlink Residential pricing and Lightwire Home plans as at July 2026. Prices, speeds and availability may vary — check your address for coverage.

Reinvested locally

0+

Kiwi schools backed — and counting

Ag days, sports events, ongoing funding, free internet, school infrastructure paid for — we do it all. When Lightwire does well, your local school does too.

Where your money goes

Your dollars stay in Aotearoa

Every Lightwire profit is reinvested here at home. Starlink is US-owned — that revenue heads offshore, not back into your town.

See if we reach your place.

Real local support, free install, and profits that come home.

Check your address for coverage

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Check your coverage or get in touch and we'll get you connected to a team that's actually down the road.

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