Starlink's download speed in Australia was 24 per cent slower during the final quarter of 2022 then it was the prior year – but it's still outpacing its fixed broadband competitors. This is according to Ookla's latest speedtests for SpaceX's Starlink and Sky Logic services.
Even though both wallow down in the 20Mbps-or-less range from time to time, our 2023 results were consistently higher, while our 2022 numbers rarely climbed above 20Mbps. Even at its slowest, Starlink is offering better download speeds in 2023 than it did last year.
The demand for Starlink service is outpacing the capacity of the network. Starlink simply can't launch satellites fast enough to handle the amount of people that want Starlink. In the peak internet usage hours of the day, between 5pm-10pm, you may notice your speeds slow way down.
How fast is Starlink internet in Australia? Starlink says download speeds should range between 20Mbps and 100Mbps, with a latency of 25ms to 50ms. That's potentially as fast as an NBN 100 plan, but with much higher latency and more room for congestion.
Home » Articles » Is Starlink Worth Getting? This is a question that is often asked. And to those residents in rural areas across Australia, who are unfortunately not privileged with strong or fast internet, our answer is YES.
Starlink is satellite internet, and as a result, it can be affected by weather. Heavy rain, snow, and ice can knock out your signal for minutes at a time. In the heaviest downpours or snow, you could lose internet for hours. In 2023, where more and more people are working from home, that can be a big disadvantage.
Starlink is currently a premium-priced product so the general consensus is that Starlink may be a better option depending on the type of NBN technology you have available. If you have NBN Satellite or NBN fixed wireless you will most likely have increased performance through upgrading to Starlink.
Starlink isn't as fast as fiber, but it still reaches broadband speeds according to the FCC. Fiber can be 4-5x faster vs Starlink, with a lower monthly cost, and better reliability. Latency is also lower. The downside of fiber is that it isn't available in many places in the US, especially in rural areas.
The NBN has come a long way and some users can now get plans on two of the fastest speed tiers available: NBN 250 (Superfast) and NBN 1000 (Ultrafast). As the name might suggest, NBN 250 offers download speeds of up to 250Mbps, which is more than double an NBN 100 plan.
Starlink delivers high-speed internet through satellites and has unlimited data, which sets it apart from competitors. The download speeds outpace other satellite internet providers but Starlink faces some barriers. One, the equipment cost runs $599 for residential service with a $110 monthly subscription fee.
Check for Network Congestion
Network congestion is probably the most common issue when it comes to slow speeds from Starlink. Starlink, despite being the company responsible for launching and maintaining the most number of satellites orbiting the Earth, still has miles to go to support its users.
SpaceX has launched about 775 Starlink satellites so far but plans to have 42,000 by the time the constellation is complete. At a three percent failure rate — assuming it stays consistent — that amounts to 1,260 immobilized satellites waiting to smash into other stuff in space.
The best satellite internet connection for online gaming is Starlink . Unlike other satellite providers that use huge satellites tens of thousands of miles away, Starlink uses low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to provide lower latency and faster speeds than the competition.
Any data used from peak hours, which Starlink defines as 7AM to 11PM, will be pulled from that Priority Access pool. If you go over your Priority Access allocation, you can pay for more data or fall back on “Basic Access” data, which is deprioritized and may be slower, for the rest of your billing cycle.
With download speeds up to 100 Mbps, and upload speeds of up to 10 Mbps, Starlink is fast enough for the vast majority of users in 2023. With these speeds, you'll be able to stream shows and movies, download large files, and game online without issues.
Ultrafast internet, as dubbed by the NBN, is officially the fastest NBN available in Australia maxing out at potential download speeds of 1000Mbps.
The conclusion so far: Starlink is a great Internet option for those who live in areas with poor Internet coverage for the average user. However, if you are working remotely, doing video / voice calls or live streaming, you will need more than just your Starlink Internet connection.
Depending on which plan you choose, Viasat can offer faster speeds than Starlink. For example, the higher-end Viasat plans offer 300–500GB of high-speed data (with unlimited connectivity beyond that point), which is competitive with Starlink, and 100 Mbps, which is faster than the typical Starlink experience.
When it comes to speed, 5G has the upper hand. While Starlink does offer impressive speeds of up to 100 Mbps, 5G has the potential to reach up to 1 Gbps in some areas.
Are there any alternatives to Starlink? The biggest competitor to Starlink in Australia is the NBN, but more specifically the NBN's satellite service, Sky Muster. Until Starlink launched in Australia, for many regional and remote Aussies, Sky Muster was their only option to get connected.
Starlink has told the government and major telecommunications companies it has signed up 120,000 Australian customers – 20,000 more than it reportedly had in February – heaping further pressure on NBN's own flagging satellite venture.
For most people, the Wifi router included with the Starlink hardware kit will work just fine. But if you want better performance, more features, or expanded coverage, an aftermarket router is a good upgrade to make.