Space Exploration Technologies Corporation’s (SpaceX) Starlink satellite internet constellation is the fastest satellite internet service in several regions of the world according to a fresh report from Ookla. Within a handful of years after opening its services, Starlink has rapidly built its low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation by launching more than 2,000 satellites. In the process, it has managed to gain an upper hand over several rivals that will use similar spacecraft but are yet to launch the satellites. Ookla’s report came out earlier today and it uses data from the company’s SpeedTest platform, which is one of the more popular mediums used all over the world by users to test their internet connectivity. The data is from the first quarter of this year and it shows that Starlink has managed to improve its performance over other satellite internet companies.
Starlink Increases Internet Speeds Annually In U.S. But Shows Quarterly Drop As More Users Sign Up
There are several key takeaways from today’s report, depending on how you want to take a look at it. If we analyze Starlink’s performance over the long term then, as Ookla is eager to mention, the internet service has improved its performance by roughly 38% from the first quarter of last year to the first quarter of this year. As the report points out, by the end of Q1 2021. Starlink’s median download speeds stood at 65.72 Mbps, and they increased to 90.55 Mbps as Q2 2022 closed. Users in Canada experienced slightly better speeds than their American counterparts, with this year’s median download speeds of 97.40 Mbps marking a 58% improvement from last year’s 61.84 Mbps. Median speeds represent the ‘middle point’ of Ookla’s data set, and they remove the impact of outliers, such as extremely high speeds that have often crossed 300 Mbps. On the flip side, Ookla’s data also shows that median Starlink download speeds have dropped, with those in the first quarter of this year dropping noticeably from Q4 2021 to levels seen during Q3 2021. This is unsurprising, as the service has been unable to keep up with the massive demand in the form of a large number of users signing up in a short time period, particularly in congested areas. Crucially, however, the results from Ookla’s latest report run against those aggregated from a much smaller website, which revealed earlier this month that Starlink speeds had noticeably dropped from July 2021 to June 2022. Since Ookla removes the impact of outliers in its data set, its analysis is much smoother, and it shows that performance remained relatively flat over the same time period. Toda’s report also shows that Starlink continues to establish itself as the dominant satellite internet service provider globally. The previous Ookla report had established a dominating lead for SpaceX’s young interest service not only over satellite but also fixed broadband services. The Q1 2022 report solidifies this lead in Europe, Oceania and South America, with the results attached below for your viewing pleasure. Data from Q1 2022 makes it clear that Starlink is here to stay and dominate when it comes to providing internet coverage to nearly every major region of the world. SpaceX’s internet service continues to vastly outperform broadband in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Mexico, France, Portugal, Germany and the United Kingdom. And with SpaceX’s Starship rocket nearing its first orbital flight, the future of Starlink satellites launching in the hundreds in one go is not far away. The rocket, whose prototype is currently on the launch pad in Boca Chica, Texas, will prove crucial for Starlink to retain its constellation size and advantage over rivals that plan to populate the skies as soon as next year. Here’s more on Starlink download speeds and tests:
Starlink Download Speed Touches 370 Mbps At 14,000 Feet Altitude – But With A Catch Starlink Ready To Turn On Laser Satellites For Internet Coverage British Starlink User Blazes Past 400 Mbps In Download Speed!
