While SpaceX is preparing for Starlink, a big question for the upcoming satellite internet service is how fast it will work in the real world.
Well, there are actually some data on speed tests that show that Starlink download speeds can range from 11 Mbps to 60 Mbps. Apparently, some lucky beta users have visited Starlink on Ookla’s Speedtest website. (Note: Ookla is owned by Ziff Davis, the parent company of PCMag.com.)
As Ars Technica points out, users on Reddit have scoured Ookla’s website and registered about a dozen speed tests with Starlink. The tests, which were mostly conducted earlier this month, show that the satellite internet network was able to deliver download speeds of 42.8 Mbps when they were averaged together.
The upload speeds, on the other hand, ranged from 4.5 Mbps to 17.7 Mbps. Almost all tests were performed in Los Angeles, California, except for three, which occurred in Seattle, Washington. As for the latency, the tests ranged from 20 milliseconds to 94 ms.
The speed tests have detected Reddit users. (Credit: Ookla)
The speed tests are well below SpaceX’s goal of delivering 1Gbps internet speeds. Still, many users in the Starlink forum on Reddit pointed out that even a download speed of 15 Mbps would be a significant improvement over the broadband they are currently using. In the US, rural areas have extremely slow internet speeds and reach 7 Mbps or much lower.
It is also important to note that Starlink’s satellite network remains under construction, so speeds and latency are likely to improve over time.
What the speed tests really are, Ookla told PCMag: “These tests seem to be legal. In general, the information about a connection that is visible to a user during a test is strictly checked by our QA (quality assurance) team . ”
Currently, SpaceX has launched about 600 satellites in orbit to power Starlink. But the goal is to eventually launch thousands more to provide global broadband coverage. The company plans to launch a public beta test for interested users in the coming weeks before launching an official launch later this year.
To learn more about beta testing, visit Starlink.com to sign up for the email newsletter. However, the public beta is likely to occur only in the Washington area.
Starlink is set to launch for the first time in the northern US and lower Canada before a global launch in 2021.
