Starlink Speeds Are Getting Worse, Not Better

SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service is expanding coverage across the US and elsewhere. According to a new report, internet speeds are slowing as Starlink adds new customers. 

Data collected by Ookla, which runs speed tests, noticed median download speeds in the US fell from 97.23Mbps to 87.25Mbps between Q2 and Q3. Even though these speeds are much faster than satellite competitors HughesNet and Viasat, the noticeable slowdown is concerning as more users are added to the space internet. 

Advertised on Starlink’s website, “Users can expect to see download speeds between 100 Mb/s and 200 Mb/s and latency as low as 20ms in most locations.” However, Ookla’s clocked median Starlink speeds fall well short of what is advertised by the company. 

Elon Musk’s SpaceX promised in February 2021 that “speed will double to ~300Mb/s & latency will drop to ~20ms later this year.” 

Speed will double to ~300Mb/s & latency will drop to ~20ms later this year

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 22, 2021

It’s the end of the year, and those speeds have yet to be seen. 

Another disappointment is that Musk’s timeline on the availability of Starlink was significantly off. He promised a “nationwide rollout” of the internet service by the end of October, but that was delayed and left thousands of people who put down a $100 deposit to secure a dish furious. 

Musk appears to have over-promised Starlink’s capabilities. None of this comes as a surprise, considering it’s Elon Musk: the greatest salesman of all times. Whatever happened to those million robotaxis that musk promised to be on the road by the end of 2020?