SpaceX claims Starlink can offer gigabit speeds if FCC approves new plan

As for actual speeds in 2024, Starlink’s website says “users typically experience download speeds between 25 and 220Mbps, with a majority of users experiencing speeds over 100Mbps. Upload speeds are typically between 5 and 20Mbps. Latency ranges between 25 and 60 ms on land, and 100+ ms in certain remote locations.”

Changing satellite elevation angles

Another request would change the elevation angles of satellites to improve network performance, SpaceX said. “SpaceX seeks to lower its minimum elevation angle from 25 degrees to 20 degrees for satellites operating between 400 and 500 km altitude,” SpaceX told the FCC. “Reducing the minimum elevation angle in this way will enhance customer connectivity by allowing satellites to connect to more earth stations directly and to maintain connections with earth stations for a longer period of time while flying overhead.”

Meanwhile, upgrades to Starlink’s Gen2 satellites “will feature enhanced hardware that can use higher gain and more advanced beamforming and digital processing technologies and provide more targeted and robust coverage for American consumers,” SpaceX said.

SpaceX is also seeking more flexible use of spectrum licenses to support its planned mobile service and the current home Internet service. The company asked for permission “to use Ka-, V-, and E-band frequencies for either mobile- or fixed-satellite use cases where the US or International Table of Frequency Allocations permits such dual use and where the antenna parameters would be indistinguishable.”

“These small modifications, which align with Commission precedent, do not involve any changes to the technical parameters of SpaceX’s authorization, but would permit significant additional flexibility to meet the diverse connectivity and capacity needs of consumer, enterprise, industrial, and government users,” the application said.