SpaceX Starlink internet beta test results recently made their way online, showing slower speeds than those originally projected for the technology. However, the project is still only at a beta testing stage and despite being slower than the projected speeds, the speeds experienced are still faster than any offered by other satellite internet providers.
SpaceX Starlink is a high-speed internet service that targets individuals in rural areas who often have more unreliable and/or slower internet speeds. The service is projected to become available sometime this year for individuals in the Northern United States and Canada. SpaceX Starlink’s satellites have been launched at a lower altitude level than traditional satellites. This is both to help the speed of the internet, as well as to produce less waste in Earth’s orbit. The FCC recently approved SpaceX to launch up to 12,000 satellites to offer this service, and so far they have 600 in orbit. The satellites have methods of returning to the Earth after they are no longer able to be used, and if those methods fail, the satellites themselves will burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere within five years, due to the proximity to the planet.
The new leaked tests show ping speeds from 20-94. For context, the average for fast broadband connections is under 100 ms, and for competitive gaming, speeds under 20 ms are the goal. Elon Musk previously stated that when fully optimized, the system should be able to offer speeds at a high bandwidth or up to 1Gbps per user. The current tests, documented through Reddit, show download speeds from 11-62 Mbps and upload speeds ranging from 6-18 Mbps. These test results, like the ping speeds, are significantly greater than other satellite internet providers and are comparable to broadband connections. This service is also expected to be affordable, and many on Reddit appear to be very excited by the results.
The FCC had previously expressed serious doubts that SpaceX Starlink could offer ping speeds under 100 ms, but these early test results have shown that they are capable of doing just that. While not as fast as Musk had originally promised, the tests do highlight faster speeds than anything else currently being offered to rural areas, and offer the fastest speeds shown by any satellite internet service to date. These results fall very evenly within averages for fast internet connections that are traditionally only offered by service providers in more highly populated areas.
While the speeds are slower than originally projected, it is still early in the testing process. So far, there are only test results from rural areas in select states. With more satellites due to be launched before the projected release date, this could result in an increase in the speeds of the SpaceX Starlink internet service soon.
Source: Reddit
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