Starlink Speeds Giving Traditional Broadband a Run For Their Money
Starlink may be the new kid on the block in the broadband industry, but it’s already giving traditional companies a run for their money.
Starlink is the satellite internet service being deployed by Elon Musk’s other company, SpaceX. Unlike traditional satellite services, such as HughesNet and Viasat, Starlink’s satellites are in low-Earth orbit. This gives the service speeds and latency much closer to traditional broadband.
According to the latest Ookla Speedtest data, Starlink is closing in on fixed broadband and, in some cases, has surpassed its speeds. In the US, the service is providing median speeds of 97.23 Mbps down, 13.89 Mbps up and 45 ms latency. In contrast, fixed broadband provides median speeds of 115.22 Mbps down, 17.18 Mbps up and 14 ms latency. In contrast, HughesNet and Viasat’s median speeds were under 20 Mbps down, under 3.5 Mbps up and had latency of 724 and 630 ms respectively.
Interestingly, Starlink faired even better in the international market. In fact, in Canada, New Zealand, Germany, France and the UK, Starlink beat traditional broadband in at least download speeds, and often in upload as well.
This data shows Starlink is rapidly improving to be a viable alternative to traditional broadband — an especially impressive feat since the service is still in beta. With numbers like this, Starlink is quickly shaping up to be one of the best options at closing the “digital divide.”
