SpaceX tried to lower expectations when it launched its Starlink satellite internet beta on October 26 — but some users say they're already hitting download speeds of more than 210 megabits per second (Mbps), which speed-test provider Ookla says is faster than 95% of US connections.
Although the fastest speed recorded on a list compiled by Reddit's Starlink community was 209.17 Mbps, in New York, one person in Utah posted a link December 10 on the community showing a download speed of nearly 215 Mbps. "Think I beat the record download this morning," they said.
They were one of many to share their Starlink internet speed since July.
SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk in 2002, said in an October 26 email that users in the "Better Than Nothing Beta"— in which a network of nearly 900 satellites is beaming internet service down to Earth — could expect speeds of between 50 Mbps and 150 Mbps.
Most user tests compiled in the list on Reddit fell within that range, though most were from before the public beta test began.
A Starlink customer based in rural Missoula, Montana, posted on Reddit December 8 saying they'd hit download speeds of 212 Mbps. "New confirmed record for me," the user said.
Another person living in rural Montana said in November their download speed was 174 Mbps and that their upload speed was 33 Mbps. "Starlink will forever change the game," they said.
A subscription to the beta test costs $600 up front: $99 a month, plus $499 for a kit with a tripod, a WiFi router, and a terminal to connect to the Starlink satellites. Some users are willing to spend even more for a better setup — one person said on Reddit that they spent an extra $100 on a sturdier mount.
Users of SpaceX's "Better Than Nothing Beta" test have seen speeds of 175 Mbps even in high-speed winds, deep snow, and freezing temperatures, proving that Starlink still works in extreme weather conditions.
In the email to users, SpaceX said it was trying to "lower your initial expectations" about the beta test. The company aims to eventually beam internet service around the world with Starlink.
It said users could expect "brief periods of no connectivity at all"— and some have seen that during the trial. One user with fast speed on the West Coast said "interruptions are about ten to fifteen seconds, and seem to happen every few minutes."
The user added that there were "a couple of trees in the way, but getting steady high speeds."
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