---
title: "Starlink Beta Has Outperformed Most Internet in the US"
description: "The Starlink \"Better Than Nothing Beta\" is giving some rural participants better internet connectivity than the vast majority of the U.S."
date: "2020-11-02"
modified: "2020-11-02"
authors:
  - name: "Dan Robitzski"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/starlink-beta-outperformed-most-internet-us"
categories:
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "internet"
  - "SpaceX"
  - "starlink"
  - "the digest"
---

# Starlink Beta Has Outperformed Most Internet in the US

![The Starlink "Better Than Nothing Beta" is giving some rural participants better internet connectivity than the vast majority of the U.S.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/starlink-beta-outperformed-most-internet-us.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: SpaceX\</em\>*

## Series Of Tubes

Some of the participants in SpaceX's public Starlink beta are reporting internet speeds higher than 95 percent of U.S. internet users.

Starlink, a constellation of what will eventually be [tens of thousands](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-darker-starlink-satellites-ruining-astronomers-research>) of satellites, was launched for the purpose of beaming down internet service to the planet, especially rural areas with weak connections. SpaceX told users to expect moderate signals during the public beta, *[Business Insider ](<https://www.businessinsider.com/starlink-internet-satellite-public-beta-speed-spacex-mbps-elon-musk-2020-11>)*[reports](<https://www.businessinsider.com/starlink-internet-satellite-public-beta-speed-spacex-mbps-elon-musk-2020-11>), but some users have already had better luck than they ever did with a conventional internet provider.

## Managing Expectations

SpaceX made its expectations clear from the beginning: The space company called the public test a "Better Than Nothing Beta" and suggested users might see speeds of 50 to 150 Mbps.

"Starlink will forever change the game," one user from rural Montana [said on Reddit](<https://www.reddit.com/r/Starlink/comments/jltvk8/way_out_in_rural_montana_where_our_alternative_is/>) as they shared their 174 Mbps download speeds. Another beta tester [boasted of their results](<https://www.reddit.com/r/Starlink/comments/jltvk8/way_out_in_rural_montana_where_our_alternative_is/garcgy0/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3>) in Seattle, which were slightly lower but still better than 95 percent of the U.S.

## Paid Participation

Of course, these users are getting what they paid for: Participation in the public beta means paying $99 per month on top of a one-time $499 expense for a Starlink router, tripod, and terminal that allows users to connect, *Business Insider* reports.

For now, Starlink [internet cuts off](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/three-percent-spacex-starlink-satellites-died>) for seconds at a time every couple of minutes — a predicted glitch that SpaceX told users to expect — but those interruptions will likely fade as more satellites are launched and coverage becomes more comprehensive.

**READ MORE:** [SpaceX's Starlink internet public beta is giving some users blistering download speeds of more than 160 Mbps, including in rural Montana](<https://www.businessinsider.com/starlink-internet-satellite-public-beta-speed-spacex-mbps-elon-musk-2020-11>) \[*Business Insider*\]

**More on Starlink:** *[SpaceX Gives Early Starlink Internet to Towns Destroyed by Wildfires](<https://www.reddit.com/r/Starlink/comments/jltvk8/way_out_in_rural_montana_where_our_alternative_is/garcgy0/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3>)*

## Author
Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://x.com/danrobitzski>)