Starlink has made further progress, with very low internet latency, towards smoother satellite connectivity

Starlink’s goal of achieving less than 20ms network latency for satellite Internet seems more realistic than ever. Elon Musk’s network has made considerable progress in recent months.

Satellite Internet service provider Starlink announced on March 8, 2024 that it had significantly reduced its network latency, one of the major components of a good connection. The SpaceX subsidiary, which has 2.6 million customers worldwide, would achieve an average of less than 33 milliseconds (ms), or 0.033 seconds, in the United States and during peak hours. Starlink, which focuses on optimizing the network to provide a smoother and more responsive experience for users, targets an average latency of 20 milliseconds worldwide.

Starlink’s spectacular progress

Starlink’s engineering teams have made refining network performance a priority, with this famous target of 20 milliseconds, and minimal packet loss. In the US, median latency has dropped more than 30% over the past month, falling from 48.5 to 33ms, with a more than 60% decrease in peak latency.

Internationally, average latency decreased by up to 25% over the same period, and peak latencies improved by 35%. Remember that the latency of a connection corresponds to the time necessary for a signal to propagate from one point to another. It is also one of the three most important elements during your speed tests, with the download speed (download) and the upload speed (send).

Latency is a crucial factor for various online applications, such as video calls, online streaming, video games and, of course, web browsing. High latency can lead to delays and a somewhat frustrating user experience.

Ongoing optimizations and further latency improvements expected this year

Starlink explained that it measures latency by collecting anonymized data from millions of routers every 15 seconds. Average and maximum latencies are calculated with a focus on peak times (typically 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. local time), to ensure users get optimal performance during periods of high demand.

Several factors affect Starlink latency, including light propagation speed, ground latency, and system delays. To stay on the path expected to push it towards an average latency of 20 ms, the operator Starlink intends to continue its precise measurements to the microsecond, as well as continuous software updates.

With 193 satellite software releases, 75 gateway software releases, 222 Starlink software releases, and 57 Wi-Fi software releases deployed and tested since the start of the year, Starlink expects further latency improvements in the coming weeks and months to come.