Starlink experiences: Is the service still reliable?

The name Starlink has been in the media for several years. Elon Musk's company SpaceX is behind the service. It ensures that a reliable internet connection can be established even in remote regions of the world. But what is the Starlink experience like today?

The service has been available since 2020 and around the world since 2023. However, more and more users are reporting that reliability has decreased. Find out why this is the case and what you can do to continue offering stable internet at events here.

How does Starlink work?

Starlink is a network of numerous satellites orbiting the earth in a relatively small radius. In summer 2024, there were around 6,700 satellites orbiting the earth. Starlink has also been granted permission to launch around 20,000 more satellites and would like to submit around the same number of further applications for a launch.

Starlink satellites are able to send an internet signal to earth. There it is received by user terminals. If you have one, you can use an internet connection and are not dependent on local providers.

Some satellites communicate with each other by laser. This allows them to exchange data with each other. This increases the speed of the internet connection. Other technologies also ensure that Starlink's satellite internet is comparatively fast.

However, one of the biggest advantages of the Starlink network is that it enables Internet access in places with poor infrastructure. It is not uncommon, especially in rural Germany, for the internet to be very slow or for no connection to be established at all.

How fast is Starlink's satellite Internet?

It is not possible to give a general indication of how fast Internet connections are with Starlink. The speed depends heavily on the satellite coverage and is usually between 50 and 250 Mbps. In particular, the latency of 20 to 40 milliseconds is quite low for satellite internet.

For comparison: A DSL connection has a download speed of 1 to 100 Mbit/s and an upload speed of 2 and 40 Mbit/s. This depends on whether it is ADSL or VDSL. Among other things, this depends on whether it is ADSL or VDSL. VDSL2 can even be up to 250 Mbit/s fast.

The latency of a DSL connection is normally between 20 and 50 milliseconds. If it is VDSL, it can also be lower.

Study confirms enormous fluctuations

A study conducted in 2023 found that the performance of SpaceX Starlink varies greatly throughout the day. It shows that the download speed reaches peaks of up to 180 Mbit/s in the morning and drops significantly in the evening.

The study uses this social media data, e.g. from Reddit, as a valuable addition to traditional measurement methods to get a more comprehensive picture of the Starlink experience.

Throttling with Starlink?

At the end of 2022, SpaceX announced its intention to throttle the data volume of frequent users. Accordingly, the company wanted to grant itself the right to throttle the internet speed of users who consume more than one terabyte per month.

As soon as the limit was reached, affected users would only be allowed to download and upload at 1 Mbit/s. However, only consumption between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. would be included - i.e. when most users access the internet via Starlink.

However, SpaceX postponed the introduction of throttling several times and even refrained from introducing it altogether in mid-2023. This means that there is officially no throttling when using Starlink's internet.

Nevertheless, some users report that their Internet speed is reduced under certain circumstances. They have observed that larger downloads noticeably lose speed after a few minutes.

Although Starlink does not officially throttle the bandwidth, the service relies on a fair use policy. This means that the company ensures that all users are supplied with Internet. And to this end, it can also temporarily throttle connections of individual customers.

However, according to the experiences of some users, overloading does not appear to be the reason for the throttling. Rather, it seems to be a thorn in Starlink's side when huge downloads are made via the satellite network.

Further problems with Starlink

In addition to the possible throttling of Internet speed, Starlink has other disadvantages. For example, users cannot rely on a uniform bandwidth. Instead, it depends on how many people are using the service at the same time.

It can therefore happen that Starlink's bandwidth suddenly drops when usage increases.

The system with its many satellites also has its pitfalls, which can spoil the Starlink experience. The user terminals do not always receive their signal from the same satellite, but from many different ones. When the satellite is changed, there can therefore be a brief interruption, which is also reported by many users in their Starlink experiences. reported by many users in their Starlink experiences.

These so-called data drop-outs are hardly noticeable when surfing the Internet or uploading and downloading. However, if Starlink's internet is used for live streaming, the data drop-outs can cause major problems.

If you need a stable and fast Internet connection for an event, you should therefore not rely on Starlink alone.

Solution: Improve Starlink experience with LTE

We from Eventnet provide your event with customized Internet. We adapt the connection to the number of participants and the requirements. Do you want to stream the event online? Then a stronger connection is necessary, for which we rely on Signal Bonding. For this we bundle several signalsto provide you with a fast and reliable Internet connection.

With Starlink bonding, for example, combining Starlink with LTE has proven successful. This approach combines the advantages of both systems and creates a result that will impress you.

Eventnet: Stable Internet at your event

We have specialized in renting out Internet for events. We have developed our flexible dispatch systems for this purpose. We send you everything you need to set up the connection by courier.

You can put the system into operation yourself at the designated location. We are always available for you during the event. Our technicians can also access the system remotely. This means we can be at your side immediately in critical moments.

Conclusion

Starlink offers a great opportunity to provide internet even in remote regions. However, reliability for events, especially live streams, is not always guaranteed. With a combined solution of Starlink and LTE, such as the one we offer, you can be sure of a stable and powerful internet connection - perfectly tailored to the requirements of your event. Rely on our experience and flexibility to ensure smooth networking even for larger events.

Please feel free to contact us contact us if you have any questions about our innovative solutions!