REUTERS/Steve Nesius
- SpaceX’s public beta test of its Starlink satellite internet is giving some users download speeds of more than 160 megabits per second (Mbps) — faster than 95% of US connections, according to speed test provider Ookla.
- One Starlink customer in rural Montana said their download speed was 174 Mbps. “Starlink will forever change the game,” they said.
- SpaceX said in an October 26 email to beta test subscribers that they should expect speeds between 50 and 150 Mbps, with intermittent outages.
- Most user speeds fall in that range, according to a list compiled by the Starlink Reddit community.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
SpaceX tried to lower expectations when it launched its Starlink satellite internet beta on October 26 — but some users say they’re already hitting download speeds of more than 160 megabits per second, which is faster than 95% of US connections, according to speed test provider Ookla.
One West-Coast user posted a screenshot of their 161 Mbps speed test to the Starlink Reddit community, and is one of many to share their speed in recent days.
Another user, in rural Montana, said their download speed was 174 Mbps, and that their upload speed was 33 Mbps. “Starlink will forever change the game,” they said.
In an October 26 email, SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, said the “Better Than Nothing Beta” would give speeds of between 50 Mbps and 150 Mbps. The beta costs $600 upfront to join, and is beaming internet down to Earth from a network of nearly 900 satellites.
Most user tests appear to fall within this range, according to a list of confirmed speeds compiled by the Reddit community — although most speeds on the list are taken from before the public beta began.
In the email, SpaceX said it was actively trying to “lower your initial expectations” about the beta. The Starlink project aims to eventually beam internet around the world.
Is said to expect “brief periods of no connectivity at all” — and users are seeing that during the trial. The West-Coast user said that “interruptions are about ten to fifteen seconds, and seem to happen every few minutes.”
The user reported there are “a couple of trees in the way, but getting steady high speeds.”
A subscription to the beta test costs $99 a month, plus $499 for a kit with a tripod, a WiFi router, and a terminal to connect to the Starlink satellites. Users are willing to spend even more for a better setup — one customer said on Reddit that they spent an extra $100 on a sturdier mount.
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