Satellite internet has a long way to go, although less and less. The first users to test the Starlink deployment, after install the first antennas capable of connecting to the network of about 600 satellites already orbiting the Earth, they are already beginning to carry out speed tests with the contrast their capabilities.
These first tests have been carried out through the well-known Ookla connection speed test platform. They show initial transfer speeds that range from 11 and 60 Mbps. This is far from the best current fiber optic plans, which reach the symmetrical Gigabit per second, but not by as much.
As we see in the captures it collects Ars Technica, the speeds mentioned are accompanied by increases between 4.5 and 17.7 Mbps, as well as latencies as low as 31 ms. A performance rather compatible with the transmission of data through a copper pair, such as connections through the telephone line.
However, other Reddit users point to such low latencies like 20 ms, which would already be more than enough to provide a good experience even in the fastest online games like FPS.
Starlink: a solvent start
Early Starlink users are required to sign nondisclosure agreements, so many more details of these tests on a relatively small scale are unlikely to be released. However, the number and capacity of available satellites will only increase, improving the signal. SpaceX claims to be able to reach speeds up to 1 Gbps, which would still be a long way off.
And it is that with these speeds it would already be possible to even perform streaming video in 4K resolution. Let us remember that some of the current video on demand platforms have requirements that range between 5 and 15 Mbps. In the latter case, content in 4K resolution from Netflix is included as an example. Apple TV + is the platform that bitrate demand, reaching 30 Mbps in high resolution, which would still be possible if our link to the SpaceX system is decent.
Starlink promises to be a alternative for those areas of the globe with difficulties to be wired. Although this system is also enormously expensive, it will give connectivity to all of them once and for all, especially those located in the northern hemisphere and far from the poles.
Starlink proposes a wireless internet connection system that has not been without controversy. After the toughest are the astronomers’ organizations, who have pointed out on multiple occasions –and for more than a year– the impact of these small devices on the night sky and its observation.
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