SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet now averages more than 100 Mbps

It might be faster than your wired internet

Until recently, satellite internet was a last resort for people in rural areas, but you might actually want satellite internet if Starlink keeps up like this. The service, which was in beta until just a few months ago, now averages more than 100 Mbps down in 15 countries, according to Speedtest.net operator Ookla.

Starlink relies on a "megaconstellation" of satellites, currently numbering more than 2,000 (compare that to just eight for competing service Viasat). That makes SpaceX the largest satellite operator in the world by far, and it plans to launch tens of thousands more with the help of its reliable, reusable rockets. The distributed nature of Starlink makes it possible to deliver much faster speeds at lower latency than traditional satellite internet. Ookla compared Starlink to HughesNet and Viasat, which split the satellite internet market before Starlink. They both top out around 20 Mbps down and 2-3 Mbps up. Meanwhile, Starlink is averaging 104.97 Mbps down and 12 Mbps up in the US (as of Q4 2021). It's even faster in some other countries like Australia where it's 141.55 Mbps down.

One of the primary issues with satellite internet is latency, which can reach several hundred milliseconds, far too high for real-time applications like video chat. Viasat currently clocks in at 627 ms and HughesNet is even higher at 725 ms. Starlink manages a mere 40 ms of latency, which isn't too far off from the average of fixed internet at 14 ms.

Starlink is on an upward trajectory, with its speeds increasing from Q3 to Q4 of last year. This service will only get faster and more expansive as SpaceX continues deploying satellites in batches of several dozen per launch (see top image). It paints a grim picture for traditional satellite operators, but they have some time to adapt. Starlink is dealing with supply issues and high demand, which has pushed the shipping timeline for new dishes to 2023 or later.

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