SpaceX is enrolling more Starlink users than ever, but new data suggests that this may not be a good thing for the satellite internet’s speed.
Median Starlink download speeds dropped to 62.53 Mbps in the U.S. during the second quarter from 90.55 Mbps in the first, as PC Mag reported on Wednesday.
The figures were compiled from Ookla, and they also showed a drop in median upload speeds from 9.33 Mbps in Q1 to 7.24 Mbps in Q2 within the U.S.
Similarly, Canada’s median Starlink download speeds were 75.73 Mbps in the second quarter, cut from the first quarter’s 97.40 Mbps, the report showed.
SpaceX Will Ask for Starlink Exemptions to Sanctions on Iran, Cuba, Possibly More https://t.co/b39CrBLtMb
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Ookla’s data is based on speeds from speedtest.net, which any individual can use to check upload and download speeds. In the report, the publication also cites the increase in Starlink users as the speed decreases.
“Starlink speeds decreased in every country we surveyed over the past year as more users sign up for service,” said Ookla.
The news comes just weeks after SpaceX was denied Starlink subsidies by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which partially blamed the withholding of $886 million on similar issues.
“We observe that Ookla data reported as of July 31, 2022 indicate that Starlink’s speeds have been declining from the last quarter of 2021 to the second quarter of 2022, including upload speeds that are falling well below 20Mbps,” the FCC said in initial statements.
Last week, Starlink reached Antarctica to become available on all seven continents.
