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Starlink continues to far outpace different satellite tv for pc suppliers on pace, within the US and elsewhere
Low-Earth Orbit satellite tv for pc broadband service Starlink reached a median obtain pace that achieves the 100-Mbps service tier baseline for the Rural Digital Alternative Fund program, in response to Ookla information and evaluation from the fourth quarter of 2021.
That’s a notable milestone, contemplating that Starlink’s median obtain pace within the third quarter of 2021 was 87.25 Mbps and that it must ship 100 Mbps speeds as a part of the almost $900 million in RDOF awards that it gained to ship high-speed service throughout elements of america. The Federal Communications Fee just lately introduced revamped accountability measures for RDOF, to extra intently scrutinize whether or not corporations who gained funding really ship the service ranges that they’ve dedicated to — partially, as a response to protests that Starlink was in a position to win a lot funding even supposing it was not offering industrial service on the time of the RDOF public sale.
Nevertheless, whereas the topline quantity seems to be good, Ookla discovered that Starlink’s efficiency “continues to range extensively on the county degree.” On this case, “range extensively” means a 130-Mbps distinction between the quickest and slowest median speeds.
In Miami Dade County in Florida, as an example, Ookla clocked Starlink’s median efficiency at 191.08 Mbps, whereas the slowest median pace was measured in Columbia County, Oregon, at 64.95 Mbps. However, Ookla’s Josh Fomon famous in a weblog publish on the outcomes, even that low-end pace greater than met the FCC’s fundamental efficiency tier for a service to be thought of “broadband web,” which is 25 Mbps. The identical can’t be mentioned of different satellite tv for pc suppliers SES, Viasat and HughsNet; the latter two trundled in with speeds round 20 Mbps, whereas SES delivered a median obtain pace of lower than 3 Mbps.
Ookla’s testing within the second quarter and third quarter of final 12 months had confirmed a dip in Starlink’s efficiency: From median obtain pace of 97.23 Mbps throughout the second quarter of 2021, to a median of 87.25 Mbps within the third quarter. Ookla famous that this “could possibly be a perform of including extra clients.” Now the corporate has continued its upward climb on speeds.
Nevertheless, Ookla didn’t a slight lower in Starlink’s median add pace between the third and fourth quarters, from 13.54 Mbps to 12.04 Mbps. Latency for the LEO broadband supplier was about 40 milliseconds, in comparison with median latency within the 600-700 ms vary for conventional satellite tv for pc suppliers and simply 14 ms for mounted broadband.
General, Starlink’s efficiency is the one one of many examined satellite tv for pc suppliers which comes near being on-part with wireline broadband efficiency within the U.S.
Learn extra of Ookla’s evaluation right here.
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