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SpaceX: Our Satellite Internet Can Now Hit Over 100Mbps in Download Speeds

Although 100Mbps is far short of the 1Gbps goal, many Americans would be more than happy to enjoy the still relatively fast download rate.

Michael Kan
 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

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(Credit: SpaceX)

SpaceX’s satellite internet service is starting to deliver 100Mbps download speeds to early test users on planet Earth.  

SpaceX reported the result on Thursday as the company launched another 60 satellites into orbit to power its upcoming Starlink service, which is designed to eventually offer 1Gbps download speeds.  

“In initial tests of Starlink, the team has been collecting latency data and performing standard speed tests of the system,” SpaceX tweeted after the successful launch. “Results from these tests have shown super low latency and download speeds greater than 100 mbps—fast enough to stream multiple HD movies at once and still have bandwidth to spare.”

In a video of the launch, SpaceX engineer Kate Tice said employees have been testing out the service, and found the latency rates are "low enough to play the fastest online video games."

The speed result is good news for the hundreds of thousands of people interested in the service, which is scheduled to kick off public beta trials in the coming weeks. Although the 100Mbps speed is far short of the 1Gbps goal, many Americans would be more than happy to enjoy the still relatively fast download rate. US users based in rural areas or small towns often only have access to download speeds below 5Mbps. 

Earlier tests of Starlink spotted on Ookla’s Speedtest website in early August showed the service offering between 11 to 60Mbps download speeds. Meanwhile, the latency rates ranged between 20 milliseconds all the way up to 94ms. 

Since then, SpaceX has blasted more Starlink satellites into orbit. Thursday’s launch means Starlink is now operating via 710 satellites. However, the company has plans to launch as many as 40,000 satellites into space to pave the way for fast internet speeds across the globe. 

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To boost data speeds even more, Tice said the company has been testing out a new technology for inter-satellite communication, dubbed "space lasers."

"With these space lasers, the Starlink satellites were able to transfer hundreds of gigabytes of data," she said. "Once these space lasers are fully deployed, Starlink will be one of the fastest options available to transfer data around the world."

Pricing for the internet service has not been announced. But the company is preparing to invite beta test users to try it out. The official launch will occur later this year, but only for users based in the northern US and southern Canada, where Starlink has stronger satellite coverage. A global rollout is scheduled for 2021.

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About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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