Starlink – a satellite Internet provider has been getting significantly higher satisfaction ratings on Ookla’s Speedtest service than broadband Internet providers. The results varied heavily based on whether the users were in metropolitan vs non-metropolitan areas.
All of this is occurring despite the fact that broadband Internet providers are in some cases offering significantly higher download speeds. Metropolitan Starlink users were getting average download speeds of 65 Mbps, and non-metropolitan users were getting speeds of 72 Mbps.
Download speeds are not the only factor that determines how customers feel about an Internet provider. Other factors influencing customer satisfaction include but are not limited to:
- Consistency of the speeds offered.
- Reliability.
- Customer service (how responsive their team is, and how good the overall customer service experience is).
- Company policy and how it affects customers. One to consider is their 1TB data usage cap, which has now been lifted. Their ratings could improve even more after this.
In the case of Starlink, there is a difference: a significant part of the market they are serving (people living in remote or rural areas) has long been neglected by conventional broadband service providers due to the need for costly posts and cables to be run. Starlink has been providing them with practical download speeds when no one else would for a reasonable price. Starlink’s download speeds have also been on the rise this year.
