SpaceX's Starlink is getting significantly faster across the U.S., while also attracting more customers from traditional DSL, cable, and fixed wireless providers, according to a new Ookla report. Highlights: • Starlink urban users are also growing faster than rural users. • Median upload speeds surged 42% year-over-year, from 14.63 Mbps in 1H 2025 to 20.73 Mbps in 1H 2026, and improved in all 50 states and D.C., with gains ranging from 25% to 70%. • The number of Starlink Speedtest users testing in urban areas grew at more than twice the rate of rural users from 1H 2025 to 1H 2026. Urban users grew faster than rural users in every state but Alaska and Hawaii. • Starlink latency improved in nearly every state. Median multi-server latency improved year-over-year in 49 states and Washington, D.C. SpaceX's next-gen Starlink V3 sats will help improve speeds and latency significantly. Full report: ookla.com/articles/starlinks…
Image from Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt)

Nov 11, 2026 · 1:20 PM UTC

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Cable acted like there was no competition in town. Turns out it was 340 miles straight up.
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Not everyone needs gigabit speeds What we need is good, reliable service Starlink does that better than cable and fibre providers
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Urban users growing faster than rural is the real signal: people with cable and DSL options are choosing Starlink anyway. That's a product win, not a last-resort story.
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Apartment buildings need the option to switch to Starlink. Stuck with limited options.
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Starlink getting faster so you can watch your longs liquidate in 4K
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Starlink growing faster in cities than in rural areas is the surprise here. If satellite internet starts beating cable in town, what happens to the cable companies?
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A 42% jump in median upload is the number I care about. Upload is what video calls and remote work depend on, and it's where satellite always lagged. For rural Canada, that's the difference between "it works" and "I can do my job on it."
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Starlink stealing customers from cable companies is the most satisfying breakup in America. Elon turned the sky into an ISP and it's beating the guys who buried cables in ur yard 🛰️
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Huge for rural Florida homes. Internet used to be a dealbreaker out there 🙏
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I’m moving in two weeks (across town in Vegas). Currently live in a high rise, so couldn’t have @Starlink but just ordered it for the new place last night. It took about 30 seconds to order, and I’ll be saving about 40% over my cable bill. Can’t wait!
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The urban growth is what caught my eye too! “Internet where you have no other option” is one business. “I have options and would still rather put a dish outside” is another. Curious how much is better performance and how much is people finally getting to break up with their cable company 😂
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I love Starlink, gladly pay for 2 roam unlimited plans but man do I wish the upload speeds were better
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upload is the number i care about. droneship landing feeds ride on starlink now and nobody wants the stream freezing at touchdown again
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Urban users growing faster than rural is the real headline. Starlink was supposed to be the rural backup, and now it's pulling cable customers in cities.
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40% of US Starlink users now clear the FCC's 100/20 broadband bar. A year ago it was 18.9%. Upload was always the excuse, and it's running out fast
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42% faster uploads in a year and better in all 50 states is awesome. V3 has to be a big reason for it, and they're just getting started.
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Cable got away with high prices and slow speeds for years because nobody had another option. Real competition is the best thing that could happen to our internet bills.
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I love my Starlink, but not seeing this. All I got was a price hike and my speeds reduced by half
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Urban users growing faster than rural is the real signal here. Starlink is no longer just the option for people with no other option, it's competing head-on with cable.
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Urban users growing faster than rural is the part that surprises me 🛰️ Anyone actually dropped cable for Starlink in town?
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Urban users growing twice as fast as rural ones is the finding that changes the story. The whole pitch has been connecting places fibre can’t reach. If the growth is in cities, people with cable options are choosing this anyway, and that’s a different company — competing on price and on not being their local ISP rather than on coverage.
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Amazing ! Did you see the comments from Verizon CEO on cost for mobile roll out ? They are nervous…
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Rural growth means you're the only option. Urban growth means you're winning against cable. That second number is the one Comcast should be watching.
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Upload speeds up 42% in a year and better in all 50 states. The cable companies have to be sweating this one lol
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Its needs to get cheaper to compete. I pay $50 a month for 250Mbps from TMobile and the hardware is rent free.
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urban growing faster than rural is the part cable companies should be worried about
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Urban users growing faster than rural is the tell: Starlink isn't the fallback when cable is missing anymore, it's competing with cable head-on. That's a very different TAM than "rural broadband."
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I became a starlink customer this past summer and I love it! I was so glad to give @ATT the big middle finger. They really can go f themselves! Love @SpaceX
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I saw an interview with @elonmusk where he said Starlink near a city, we live in suburban Chicago, the competition for bandwidth would harm download and upload speeds. Has that changed?
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Rural folks were the early adopters because we didn't have a choice. Now the city's catching on.
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Waiting on a bit better speed/cost ratio and then ditching Xfinity for sure!
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This is because all terrestrial competition has been jacking up prices like villainous robber-barons. They have no competition to fear, so why not?
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Urban growth is the telling part. Starlink started as the answer for places cable ignored. If it now wins in cities too, the cable companies lose their last excuse for slow upgrades and high prices.
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The upload jump is real. Up 42% to 20.73 Mbps. But downloads fell in 16 states and D.C. while urban users grew 73%. That's a capacity race. $SPCX wins cities only if new satellites outrun signups.
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A 42% jump in median upload in one year is huge for anyone working from home on video calls. 24 states are under 40 ms latency now too, up from 10 a year ago.
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9 out of 10 new Starlink users switching from DSL, cable or fixed wireless is wild. And city folks signing up faster than rural? Didn't see that coming 👀
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