Will Starlink’s low-earth-orbit-based satellite broadband service actually be comparable to, or better than, terrestrial broadband? The company won nearly $900 million in funds from the federal government based on the promise that it will be. Now, Speedtest data from Ookla offers a first glimpse of the user experience that Starlink is delivering.
Starlink is still in its beta phase, but Ookla was able to use Speedtest data from the first quarter of this year to look at the service’s performance in the U.S. and Canada. What it found was a mixed bag: Yes, Starlink can meet FCC minimum requirements for broadband, currently defined as speeds of 25 Mbps in the downlink and 3 Mbps in the uplink.
