Starlink users in metro and nonmetro areas are relatively happy with the service, despite a slowdown over the past year, according to data released Monday by Ookla, which analyzes internet performance metrics.
Starlink’s net promoter score (NPS), which measures customers’ loyalty to a brand by asking how likely they are to recommend the service, beat out fixed broadband providers for both metro and nonmetro areas, despite slower median download speeds.
The numbers:
- Metro Starlink NPS = 31.94
- Nonmetro Starlink NPS = 42.21
- Metro fixed broadband providers NPS = -23.62
- Nonmetro fixed broadband providers NPS = -21.27
- Metro Starlink median download speed = 65.29 Mbps
- Metro fixed broadband provider median download speeds = 203.93 Mbps
- Nonmetro Starlink median download speed = 72.18 Mbps
- Nonmetro fixed broadband provider median download speeds = 100.41 Mbps
Starlink upload and download speeds in North America are down compared to Q1 2022, though they have started inching up again over the past two quarters. In the US, median download speeds are down ~24 Mbps compared to the first quarter of 2022, but the last two quarters experienced a jump of at least 13 Mbps.
The competition: Starlink in the US, Canada, and Mexico had the fastest upload and download speeds of all satellite internet providers in North America, beating out Viasat and HughesNet. Fixed providers remained at the top.
Looking at other regions: In Q1, Starlink in Chile held the title of fastest satellite provider in South America. In the Caribbean, Starlink in Jamaica outperformed Viasat and HughesNet and, notably, also all fixed broadband providers. Starlink also outperformed fixed providers in download speeds in Nigeria and the Philippines this quarter.
