SEATTLE – SpaceX’s low Earth orbit satellite communications service, Starlink, had a slightly decreased median download speed in Q3 over Q2 as more users were added, while overall fixed broadband speed increased, according to Ookla, a broadband and mobile network testing company based in Seattle.
A report released today by Ookla shows in Q2 2021, the median download speed for Starlink was 86.92 megabits per second (Mbps) while in Q3 it decreased to 84.55 Mbps. “This is in line with what we expect to see on new technologies as additional users are added to a system,” the report says.
Overall fixed broadband in Canada meanwhile had a median download speed of 84.24 Mbps in Q2, which increased in Q3 to 90.67 Mbps.
In terms of median upload speed, Starlink’s “was slower than fixed broadband (13.87 Mbps vs. 20.67 Mbps). Latency on Starlink was much higher (56 ms vs. 12 ms),” says the report.
Nevertheless, Ookla’s report says “Starlink is still a viable alternative to fixed broadband in Canada, especially for consumers without access to other options.”
Analysis of nine provinces showed in Q3, Starlink’s “median download speed was faster than the median for all fixed broadband in five provinces,” according to the report.
This includes Manitoba (81.04 Mbps vs. 65.91 Mbps), Nova Scotia (109.60 Mbps vs. 99.82 Mbps), Prince Edward Island (118.02 Mbps vs. 46.86 Mbps), Quebec (92.59 Mbps vs. 72.07 Mbps) and Saskatchewan (97.67 Mbps vs. 57.59 Mbps).
“Download speeds were comparable between Starlink and overall fixed broadband in New Brunswick (104.56 Mbps vs. 104.28 Mbps), and overall fixed broadband was faster than Starlink in Alberta (92.65 Mbps vs. 82.48 Mbps), British Columbia (111.36 Mbps vs. 87.34 Mbps) and Ontario (86.26 Mbps vs. 79.54 Mbps),” says the report.
For the full report, please click here.
Image supplied by Ookla.
