SEATTLE — Starlink, the low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications service operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, provides faster average download speeds than fixed broadband services in Canada, according to new Speedtest Intelligence data from Seattle-based broadband and mobile network testing company Ookla.
In a new report released today, Ookla says Speedtest data from the second quarter of 2021 shows Starlink’s median download speed (86.92 megabits per second) exceeded that of all fixed broadband (84.24 Mbps) in Canada, “making Starlink a reasonable alternative to fixed broadband in Canada,” reads the report.
However, Starlink’s median upload speed (13.63 Mbps) was slower than fixed broadband (17.76 Mbps), and latency on Starlink was much higher (55 milliseconds vs. 12 ms for fixed broadband).
Ookla says Starlink’s performance varied at the provincial level, but not widely. Analyzing performance data for eight provinces during Q2 2021, Ookla found Starlink’s median download speed was faster than fixed broadband in five provinces (Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Saskatchewan). Average download speeds were comparable between Starlink and overall fixed broadband in Alberta and Ontario, while fixed broadband was faster in British Columbia, Ookla says.
For more information, including how Starlink performed in other countries, please click here.
Images borrowed from Ookla’s website.
