Starry Internet
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Internet service provider |
| Founded | January 2016 |
| Founder | Chaitanya "Chet" Kanojia |
| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
Key people | Chaitanya "Chet" Kanojia (Founder) |
| Products | Fixed wireless broadband internet service (Starry Internet) |
Number of employees | 100 (2016) |
| Website | starry |
Starry Internet is a fixed wireless broadband Internet service provider (ISP) operated by Starry, Inc.. It utilizes millimeter-band LMDS technology, often regarded as a form of 5G fixed wireless, to connect its base stations to customer premises. Starry’s service footprint includes cities such as Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, Denver, Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.
Background and availability
Founded in January 2016 by Chaitanya "Chet" Kanojia, the creator of Aereo, Starry, Inc. initially launched commercial operations targeting select apartment complexes in Boston by December 2017. The company offered internet access at $50 per month per unit, providing symmetrical speeds of 200 Mbit/s. By the end of 2016, Starry employed approximately 100 staff members, had secured $63 million in funding, and maintained its headquarters in Boston. Kanojia has noted that Starry’s capital expenditure per household is around $25, a figure substantially lower than the typical $2,500 investment required by traditional cable providers. On July 1, 2019, through an FCC auction, Starry acquired 104 licenses for 24 GHz millimeter-wave spectrum rights spanning 51 markets across 25 states.
Starry’s network operates within the 37.1, 37.3, and 37.5 GHz frequency bands. It connects base stations—referred to as "Starry Beam"—to receivers on buildings known as "Starry Points," covering distances up to 1.5 km. The system relies on near line-of-sight transmissions that do not penetrate structures and are susceptible to interference from foliage or precipitation. To address these challenges, Starry employs Multi-user MIMO phased array antennas and capitalizes on signal reflections to maintain connectivity. Inside customer premises, the internet signal is distributed through Starry’s custom-designed Wi-Fi router called the "Starry Station."
Critical reception
Industry analysts have expressed varied opinions regarding Starry’s future potential. Some draw parallels to the downfall of Clearwire, which operated on the 2.5 GHz band using WiMAX, highlighting persistent technical obstacles: "The physics are tough to overcome, and technology has been slow to improve here." Conversely, others emphasize that if Starry successfully maintains its anticipated low fixed costs per subscriber, it could deliver broadband speeds comparable to wired services but at significantly reduced prices.
2022 First Mark Acquisition Corp Merger
In March 2022, Starry Internet became a publicly traded company through a SPAC merger with First Mark Acquisition Corp.
Financial issues
On October 20, 2022, Starry submitted a "WARN" notification to New York State announcing workforce reductions involving 49 employees due to financial strain.
On December 23, 2022, Farley-White, a commercial real estate company, initiated legal action against Starry seeking $120,000 for unpaid rent.
Starry filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on February 20, 2023.
Following its bankruptcy proceedings, Verizon agreed to acquire Starry in October 2025; this transaction is anticipated to finalize by late 2026.