Starlink Upload Speeds Jump 42% in US as Cheaper Plans Lift Median Download Dip

Starlink US internet speeds 2026, Digi Mart USA News (United States): Starlink’s performance in the United States is improving even as its subscriber base grows, according to a newly published 2026 report based on Speedtest data. The report compares the first halves of 2025 and 2026, and the largest gain was in upload speed.

The national median upload speed rose 42% to 20.73 Mbps, and every state and Washington, D.C., improved by between 25% and 70%. The report links this to newer V2 Mini satellites, which now make up about two-thirds of the operational fleet, and to the absence of an upload speed cap.

Download speeds showed a smaller increase. The national median rose 12% to 119.71 Mbps, but it fell in 16 states and Washington, D.C.

The report attributes part of this to many users choosing Starlink’s constantly available monthly promotions, including the cheapest plan capped at 100 Mbps.

The share of US users reaching the FCC’s 100/20 Mbps broadband benchmark more than doubled, from 18.9% to 40%. The report notes this measure matters for federal or state subsidy eligibility.

Latency was roughly flat nationally but improved in 49 states and Washington, D.C., with the number of jurisdictions having a median below 40 ms rising from 11 to 25.

The report attributes the latency improvement to more gateways and interconnection points closer to users, along with lower orbits approved by the FCC for many satellites. Starlink’s US Speedtest samples rose 41.8% year over year.

SpaceX reported 13.6 million consumer subscribers worldwide in the third quarter, up 1.6 million from the previous quarter, with about one-fifth in the US.

Regional results varied. Utah recorded the fastest Starlink downloads, while the Southeast was the slowest, with Florida at the bottom.

Florida’s median download still rose 50%. The report also notes Starlink remains slower at the median than all fiber providers and the three major 5G fixed wireless providers.

Looking ahead, the report says a larger speed increase would depend on V3 satellites, which offer ten times the capacity of a V2 Mini. SpaceX has just begun launching them, so their effect would likely appear only in 2027 reports.