Welcome back to our weekly roundup of what cellular and satellite networking pros are talking about. This was a heavy week for pricing and policy, with two stories that reshape the satellite landscape and a quieter pile of firmware updates worth your attention.
Starlink Raises Prices Across Residential and Roam
For the first time in years, Starlink lifted prices on most of its plans by $5 to $10 per month. Residential 100 moved from $50 to $55, Residential 200 from $80 to $85, and Residential Max from $120 to $130. On the mobility side, Roam 100GB went from $50 to $55 and Roam Unlimited jumped from $165 to $175. Starlink also rolled out a new Roam 300GB tier at $80 on May 14.
New customers pay the new rates right away. Existing customers should see the change on their first billing date on or after June 18. If you bond Starlink with cellular on a Pepwave router, the math on your monthly stack just shifted, so it is worth revisiting which plan tier you actually need.
The Big Three Carriers Form a Satellite Joint Venture
In a genuinely unusual move, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon announced on May 14 that they plan to pool spectrum into a joint venture focused on direct-to-device (D2D) satellite connectivity. The stated goal is closing coverage gaps in unserved and underserved areas. The subtext is a coordinated response to SpaceX and Starlink’s push into direct-to-phone service. For anyone planning failover and remote-site connectivity, D2D is shifting from novelty to roadmap item.
FCC Tightens and Loosens Covered List Rules at Once
The FCC had a busy month on equipment policy. On May 8 it expanded a waiver letting grantees of certain covered foreign-produced routers and drone gear push firmware and security patches that address vulnerabilities, and it extended that limited waiver through January 1, 2029. At the same time, the FCC expanded an equipment ban that now reaches portable hotspots and the cellular gateway boxes used for home internet. T-Mobile said its already-approved routers are not affected and that it will work with vendors to meet the updated requirements on future hardware. If your fleet includes restricted-vendor gear, this is the policy thread to watch.
Firmware and Security Watch
Peplink shipped Firmware 8.6.0 Beta 2 on May 7, landing OneWeb support and WireGuard alongside the SpeedFusion Boost feature from Beta 1. Note that Beta 1 was pulled after a reported issue that could make the B One 5G unresponsive, so hold off on production upgrades until general availability.
Digi released DAL OS firmware v26.2.147.125 for its EX, IX, and TX routers on May 20, focused on stability plus networking, management, and security fixes. Digi also picked up an IoT product award for the IX25 industrial router on May 28.
Semtech / Sierra Wireless users on legacy AirLink ALEOS hardware should note that CISA added an actively exploited ALEOS flaw (CVE-2018-4063, remote code execution) to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Affected devices reached end of support, so the guidance is to update to a supported platform or retire them.
Teltonika continues to surface firmware update notifications directly in the RutOS WebUI, making it easier to keep RUT-series routers current. As always, test the latest build before pushing it fleet-wide.
Inseego launched the MiFi PRO M4, its first new hotspot since 2022, with a Qualcomm X72 modem and dual-band Wi-Fi 7. It is available from AT&T at $209.99 and T-Mobile Business at $199.99.
Cradlepoint firmware management still runs through NetCloud Manager, and the enterprise-class W2255 has been drawing attention for its 5G performance.
On the RouterCVE Report Card, the brands we stock stayed clean this week. Peplink, Cradlepoint, Inseego, and Starlink all show zero CVEs in the trailing 30 days, while Digi, Teltonika, and Semtech each sit at A+ with nothing new in the 30-day column. For comparison, several migration-source brands kept piling up activity in the last 30 days: Cisco (20), Palo Alto Networks (20), Fortinet (11), Zyxel (5), ASUS (5), and TP-Link (4). Katalyst, the newer 5G/LTE router line, remains too new to rate but is on our radar.
Spectrum and Industry
The throughline this week is satellite. Starlink’s price move and the carrier D2D venture both point to a market where low earth orbit capacity is becoming a core part of the connectivity stack, not a backup afterthought. Peplink’s addition of OneWeb support in its latest beta fits the same trend: operators increasingly want to mix multiple satellite sources and cellular on one router. On the policy side, the FCC’s split approach, easing security patches while tightening hardware authorization, signals that supply-chain rules will keep shaping which devices you can deploy.
5Gstore Take
If you run Starlink in a bonded setup, take ten minutes this month to confirm your plan tier still matches your real usage before the new pricing hits your bill. On the firmware front, our advice is unchanged: let Peplink 8.6.0 reach general availability before upgrading production units, and prioritize patching or retiring any legacy Sierra Wireless ALEOS gear given the active exploitation. The report card continues to make the case for the brands we carry, which is why our shelves lean toward Peplink, Cradlepoint, Digi, Teltonika, Inseego, Semtech, and Katalyst rather than the consumer names racking up CVEs.
Not sure how the satellite and D2D shifts affect your deployment? Contact our team and we will help you map out a resilient, multi-WAN plan that fits your sites and budget.
