By the end of 2021, the internet download speeds of Starlink in the US were clocked at 104.97Mbps but they’ve seen a noticeable decline in the first quarter of 2022. The median download speed was noted around 90Mbps this year. The same was the case with upload speeds which fell from 12Mbps to nearly 9Mbps.
In Canada, we can see a similar graph with the median download speed falling from 106.64Mbps last year, to 97.40Mbps this year. Uploads also saw a dip in speeds with initial 12Mbps in Q4 2021, to 10Mbps in Q1 2022.
Many users have been complaining about sudden drops in performance throughout the day. Ookla, known for sponsoring the internet speed testing website, speedtest.net, compiled the reports from users. Many suspect this dip in performance is due to network congestion. This means that more people are using Starlink and hence decreasing the overall speeds.
In the regions of North America, Starlink seems to be performing well below the speeds that it started with. A user reported a drop from 200Mbps to 40Mbps when Starlink first came out vs now. The main cause of this was also reported to be congestion in the area. More people close to the reporter using Starlink means less internet speed. Nelson Minor hopes SpaceX finds a way to improve this network congestion so users can have a faster internet experience.
While Ookla’s reports have been disheartening for the North American region, globally it was found to have an increase in internet speeds. Across many countries in Europe, Starlink’s internet speeds were much faster than any local, ground-based providers.
Furthermore, Ookla says in their report that Starlink’s internet speeds were found to be increasing at a greater rate overall than other satellite ISPs such as HughesNet and Viasat. This data was on year-to -year bases as opposed to quarters throughout the year as mentioned in the beginning.
Starlink has gathered over 500,000 users globally as of now, and the number keeps on growing daily. SpaceX has been making improvements and marketing Starlink around the globe steadily for it to have such support. Starlink has also stated that to battle the issue of network congestion, they will be launching more satellites in the future. As of now, it is unconfirmed how long that will take.
Read next: Even though NFTs have been all the rage these past years not many know what they exactly are
In Canada, we can see a similar graph with the median download speed falling from 106.64Mbps last year, to 97.40Mbps this year. Uploads also saw a dip in speeds with initial 12Mbps in Q4 2021, to 10Mbps in Q1 2022.
Many users have been complaining about sudden drops in performance throughout the day. Ookla, known for sponsoring the internet speed testing website, speedtest.net, compiled the reports from users. Many suspect this dip in performance is due to network congestion. This means that more people are using Starlink and hence decreasing the overall speeds.
In the regions of North America, Starlink seems to be performing well below the speeds that it started with. A user reported a drop from 200Mbps to 40Mbps when Starlink first came out vs now. The main cause of this was also reported to be congestion in the area. More people close to the reporter using Starlink means less internet speed. Nelson Minor hopes SpaceX finds a way to improve this network congestion so users can have a faster internet experience.
While Ookla’s reports have been disheartening for the North American region, globally it was found to have an increase in internet speeds. Across many countries in Europe, Starlink’s internet speeds were much faster than any local, ground-based providers.
Furthermore, Ookla says in their report that Starlink’s internet speeds were found to be increasing at a greater rate overall than other satellite ISPs such as HughesNet and Viasat. This data was on year-to -year bases as opposed to quarters throughout the year as mentioned in the beginning.
Starlink has gathered over 500,000 users globally as of now, and the number keeps on growing daily. SpaceX has been making improvements and marketing Starlink around the globe steadily for it to have such support. Starlink has also stated that to battle the issue of network congestion, they will be launching more satellites in the future. As of now, it is unconfirmed how long that will take.
