broadband
networks
report
research
spacex
starlink
study

Categories::

Broadband
Networks
Operators
Rural Telecoms
Satellites
Telecoms

Research from Ookla finds that Starlink now averages over 100 Mbps in 15 countries.

The results, from Q4 2021, suggests that SpaceX’s satellite system continues to beat median fixed broadband speeds in most locations:

	Starlink	Fixed Broadband
Australia	141.55	51.35
Austria	131.84	50.33
Belgium	155.15	76.94
Canada	106.64	96.39
Chile	118.95	168.92
France	102.15	75.47
Germany	115.58	65.86
Ireland	123.51	65.89
Italy	124.39	49.56
Mexico	141.94	36.56
Netherlands	138.40	95.55
New Zealand	116.44	98.61
Poland	129.29	83.88
Portugal	140.35	94.62
United Kingdom	121.94	57.66
United States	104.97	131.90

In Q3 2021, Starlink’s median download speed was 87.25 Mbps. That increased to 104.97 Mbps in Q4 2021—achieving the FCC’s “above baseline” performance tier of its Rural Digital Opportunity Fund.

While the US is looking to increase satellite broadband competition, Starlink currently dominates the competition in speeds and latency.

Compared to Starlink’s 104.97 Mbps download speeds, HughesNet and Viasat achieved just 20.92 Mbps and 21.81 Mbps, respectively.

It’s a similar story with latency, historically a major problem with satellite systems.

Starlink achieves 40ms latency – viable for most applications, even multiplayer gaming – while HughesNet and Viasat have a latency of 725ms and 627ms, respectively.

Of course, the disparity in speeds and latency is due to Starlink’s use of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites. Most rivals currently use much higher geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellites.

You can dig into Ookla’s full report here.

(Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash)

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About the Author

Ryan Daws

Senior Editor

Ryan Daws is a senior editor at TechForge Media with over a decade of experience in crafting compelling narratives and making complex topics accessible. His articles and interviews with industry leaders have earned him recognition as a key influencer by organisations like Onalytica. Under his leadership, publications have been praised by analyst firms such as Forrester for their excellence and performance. Connect with him on X (@gadget_ry), Bluesky (@gadgetry.bsky.social), and/or Mastodon (@gadgetry@techhub.social)