Starlink is the leader in satellite internet speed in the United States during the fourth quarter of 2021, according to Ookla.
Satellite-powered internet is becoming a viable replacement for fixed broadband service. Starlink, Viasat, HughesNet, and other satellite providers are all placing big bets on low-earth orbital (LEO) satellite constellations.
Starlink recently introduced a new premium service with speeds expected to be around 150-500 Mbps.
Starlink’s download speed increased from 87.25 Mbps during Q3 2021 to 104.97 Mbps in Q4 202. Viasat overtook HughesNet to follow Starlink at 21.81 Mbps vs HughesNet at 20.92 Mbps. SES trailed far behind at 2.19 Mbps.
For comparison, the download speed for all fixed broadband providers rose moderately in the U.S. during Q4 2021 from 119.84 Mbps in Q3 2021 to 131.30 Mbps in Q4 2021.
Starlink saw a slight decrease in upload speed from 13.54 Mbps during Q3 2021 to 12.04 Mbps in Q4 2021. Upload speed for all fixed broadband rose to 19.49 Mbps in Q4 2021 from 18.03 Mbps in Q3 2021. Viasat followed at 2.88 Mbps (2.96 Mbps in Q3 2021), then HughesNet at 2.54 Mbps (2.13 Mbps in Q3 2021), and SES at 1.19 Mbps.
