Ookla’s latest data from Q4 2022 and Q1 2023 has provided fresh insights into the performance of HughesNet, SpaceX’s Starlink, and Viasat in North America, South America, and the Caribbean.
The report also includes updates on SpaceX Starlink’s newly ventured markets, featuring its Net Promoter Score (NPS) for both urban and rural connections in the United States, annual data for the firm in Canada, Chile, Mexico, and the U.S., along with initial results from three new countries – the Philippines, Nigeria, and Peru.
Starlink, which has become increasingly popular among rural users, especially those in remote areas, has shown promising improvements in internet speed in Canada and the U.S. over the last two quarters.
These improvements coincide with Starlink’s recent upgrades to its satellite array, including the launch of 46 next-generation satellites on April 27, suggesting a potential for continued global speed enhancements. The next Starlink launch is set for tomorrow from California.
However, the Ookla data indicates a slowdown in median download and upload speeds across North America in Q1 2023, compared to the same period in 2022.
Despite this, Canada and the U.S. saw increases in download speed over the past two quarters, with Canada experiencing a slight decrease year-over-year but a significant quarterly rise. The U.S. saw a more considerable year-over-year decrease but a solid quarterly increase.
Speedtest Intelligence revealed that Starlink leads the pack in terms of download speed among satellite providers in mainland North America. Starlink in Canada, with a speed of 93.97 Mbps, was significantly faster than Starlink in the U.S. and Mexico. Starlink in Mexico outperformed all fixed broadband providers in the country.
Viasat, in all three countries – Canada, Mexico, and the U.S., showed noticeable improvement in download speed from Q3 2022 to Q1 2023. However, Hughesnet lagged behind in terms of download speed in the U.S. and Mexico.
Regarding upload speeds, all satellite providers were slower than their fixed broadband counterparts. Starlink in Canada led the satellite providers with the highest upload speed.
For latency, a significant limitation of satellite internet, Starlink had the only latencies under 100 ms among satellite providers, with Starlink in the U.S. recording the lowest. Viasat and HughesNet, with their geosynchronous orbits further away from Earth, had much higher latencies than Starlink’s low-earth orbit.
Currently, SpaceX has a Starlink deal for rural Canadians, offering over 70% off hardware at $199 CAD. How SpaceX defines “rural” is up in the air, as many in urban areas said they qualified for service. Click here to enter your address to see if you qualify for Starlink’s huge hardware discount.
