Starlink, SpaceX’s solution to offer broadband internet in different areas of the world through satellites, began to be operational in Spain at the beginning of January. At the moment, only for those customers who previously booked the service. This is the case of @wixens, a registered Broadband user who can boast of being one of the first clients of Elon Musk’s internet service in Spain, and who claims to have experienced a significant improvement in connection with respect to your previous contracted internet plan.
@wixens, according to the aforementioned portal, resides in a mountainous area in the interior between the provinces of Barcelona and Tarragona. In that place, the only way to have an internet connection is through a 4G mobile network with a maximum speed of 10 Mbps. Not enough bandwidth to, for example, watch streaming content normally. That is why he decided to register in advance for the Starlink program, which has a reservation price of 99 euros. When the company announced the availability in Spain, it confirmed its subscription and purchased the pack that includes the antenna and the router. This, let’s remember, costs 499 euros.
After receiving the equipment, the client installed the necessary antenna to be able to receive the internet signal on the roof of his house. He used, yes, a mast made to measure to provide the dish with a correct connection with the satellites. Later, through the Starlink application, he carried out a speed test that concluded with results that were not expected at all.
The app, specifically, showed a download speed of 339 Mbps and an upload speed of 59 Mbps. It also had a latency of 19 ms. This is more than what Starlink promises, who assures on their website that it is possible to obtain speeds between 100 Mbps and 200 Mbps. And, of course, also it’s a much higher speed than the 10 Mbps that your 4G connection provided.
Another Starlink client, from an area without fiber or ADSL 4 km from Barcelona, seems to have obtained similar results, with a download speed of 348 Mbps and an upload speed of 46.76 Mbps, as shown in a screenshot of SpeedTest.
Starlink is a good alternative to get rid of poor internet connection in rural areas, but it is not cheap
Starlink satellite dish Keep in mind that the service is not yet operational throughout the territory, and that speeds may vary depending on different factors . For example, the fact that the antenna is installed in an area where there is no element that prevents or reduces communication with the satellites, helps to make the connection more favorable. Even so, data from the first Starlink customer in Spain shows that the service is a great alternative to put an end to poor internet connection in rural areas. However, it has an important drawback.
Its price is higher than any other internet service. Not only do you have to pay the 499 euros for the equipment, but you also need to pay a monthly fee of 99 euros per month. In addition to other expenses that must be borne by the customer, such as the cost of shipping.
