Based on statistics gathered by Ookla through its Speedtest app, SpaceX Starlink satellite broadband service continues to favor rural areas.
However, urban areas, typically not considered Starlink’s primary markets, reported nearly 60% of the recent Ookla Speedtest samples.
According to Ookla, rural subscribers can now use the low earth orbit (LEO) service in urban areas with the help of the new roaming option. This could help to explain some of the samples from urban areas. Furthermore, the corporation claims that urban subscribers might use Starlink as a backup for their broadband connection.
As per Ookla, “Starlink median download performance in the U.S. was 64.54 Mbps in Q3 2023, a marginal decline quarter on quarter, though Starlink did show strong increases in September, October and November.”
The median download speed in the United States was higher than 53 Mbps in the third quarter of 2022. Throughout the quarter, the median upload speed rose to 9.7 Mbps, and the median multi-server latency decreased to 60 ms. June and July saw a decrease in performance, while August saw an improvement. Last month, it peaked at 79 Mbps.
The FCC is considering redefining broadband/high-speed internet as 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload instead of 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload.
Urban Shift: Starlink’s Roaming Feature Fuels Growth in City Centers
Starlink and a few other providers might need help to comply with the new standard, according to Ookla.
According to Ookla, Starlink’s download performance puts it “behind” T-Mobile and “alongside” CenturyLink. T-Mobile’s 63 ms was trailed by Starlink’s 60 ms in the third quarter.
As per Ookla, LEO satellite service performance “lags well behind” United States cable companies like Cox, Spectrum (Charter), and Xfinity (Comcast).
Nonetheless, Speedtest notes that Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites provide a “step-change” in latency compared to geostationary orbit (GEO) providers.
Starlink’s net provider score (NPS) was higher in both metro and non-metro areas of the U.S., based on a May Ookla analysis.
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