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A new test of SpaceX’s cellular Starlink system shows the orbiting satellites can deliver a 17Mbps download rate to a smartphone on the ground.
This past weekend, company CEO Elon Musk tweeted a speed test, demonstrating the technology’s download capabilities over an unmodified Samsung Android phone. The test involved using the orbiting satellites to deliver a 60.3MB file. During the download, the cellular Starlink satellites were able to reach a 15.6Mbps to 17.2Mbps rate.
The screenshot indicates that SpaceX’s cellular Starlink system can offer some 4G LTE speeds, although on the lower-end and with a 15% packet loss.
Musk also pointed out the 17Mbps download rate is only possible in areas with little cellular coverage, which have less radio interference. “This is the current peak speed per beam and the beams are large, so this system is only effective where there is no existing cellular service,” he said in a follow-up tweet.
Astronomer Jonathan McDowell adds that the cellular Starlink satellites are currently orbiting the Earth at a distance of 360 kilometers, or about 200 kilometers below their final operating altitude. So the peak download speeds will probably decrease once the satellites reach a higher orbit.
Still, the speed test shows SpaceX’s cellular Starlink system outperforming other satellite providers in supplying data to cell phones. For example, Apple has been offering a satellite-based Emergency SOS Service for iPhones, but it’s currently restricted to text messaging.
SpaceX is developing the “Direct to Cell” Starlink system so that users can still connect to the internet even in cellular dead zones. All they’ll need to do is use their phone in an area with a clear view of the sky.
Recently, SpaceX also demoed the cellular Starlink system being used to post a tweet and transmit SMS messages from unmodified smartphones. Currently, the company only has six “direct cell” satellites in orbit, but it plans on sending as many 840 of them in the coming months. The goal is to launch the cellular Starlink system for T-Mobile users later this year, first to enable SMS messaging, before rolling out call and internet support in 2025.
Rival AT&T is working on its own cellular satellite system with AST SpaceMobile, which was able to deliver a 14Mbps download speed using its own prototype satellite last year.