Starlink Internet speeds double in the US as satellite capacity increases

The Starlink satellite Internet service speed has dramatically increased, with both the upload and download speeds nearly doubling from their lows when it couldn't meet demand fast enough.

As a testament to the satellite capacity that SpaceX has been adding relentlessly since then, it has now marked the 10 millionth dish produced, with a current rate of 15,000 units churned out daily.

Starlink speeds

Despite the drastic increase in subscribers to six million, Starlink speeds have doubled since the 2022 lows to reach a 104.71 Mbps median, meeting the FCC's definition for broadband Internet downloads for the first time.

While only 17% of American Starlink users fully meet the minimum FCC broadband criteria of 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload speeds, that is mainly because of the current V2 satellites' uplink capacity.

With the coming launch of the Starlink V3 satellites, each the size of a Boeing 737 when its solar panels are unfurled, the upload speeds will begin meeting the FCC's broadband definition, too. Not only do the V3 satellites offer 1 Tbps throughput, or 10x the current Starlink download speeds, but they also bring a dramatic 24x uplink increase to 160 Mbps.

This means that even a user with a cheap and mobile Starlink Mini dish will be able to meet America's broadband Internet speeds criteria both on the download and the uplink side for the first time in satellite Internet history.

Starlink latency

SpaceX not only doubled the Starlink download and upload speeds in less than three years despite a drastic subscriber growth, but also greatly improved the network's latency. Ping has gone from a high of 76 ms to the current 45 ms thanks to the addition of six more internet connection locations.

The V3 satellite constellation that SpaceX will start launching in 2026 is expected to bring latency to comfortable gaming levels of under 20 ms, with Elon Musk noting that the lowest ping numbers could theoretically hit 5 ms.

The Starlink V3 satellites that promise a 10x increase in download speeds and 25x uplink boost will be carried to lower orbit by SpaceX's Mars-capable Starship 3 rocket with 42 engines that is expected to make its maiden voyage later this year.