The European Commission is even planning a multibillion Euro investment to connect the continent to satellite internet. It’s a gamble, as Starlink recently learned after losing about 40 satellites to a geomagnetic storm, but it’s a gamble worth making. Starlink, Viasat, HughesNet, and other satellite providers are all placing big bets on low-earth orbital (LEO) satellite constellations, and Starlink is even introducing a new premium service with speeds expected to be around 150-500 Mbps. It’s already a huge boon to rural communities that might otherwise be too remote for fixed broadband service. Roots may be growing into the cable buried in your yard.Fast satellite internet has become increasingly available to more and more people across the globe. Speed may be slow because you’re using the internet at peak times, or your router may be outdated. You may even see disclaimers like “wireless speeds may vary” because Wi-Fi speeds are always inconsistent no matter what provider you choose-it’s just how Wi-Fi works.įor example, there may be issues with the provider’s service area, like faulty connections somewhere within the neighborhood. Internet providers will state “up to” when advertising maximum speeds because many variables can prevent you from hitting that top speed. What you see on the speed test is simply where your internet speeds are currently.

Most of the time, your internet speeds will fluctuate within a small range of that max speed.

The speeds promised by your internet plan are the max speeds you can expect.

You likely won’t ever see the maximum speed advertised by your provider in the speed test, but your speed test results should come close.

Why doesn’t my internet speed match my plan?

Online internet speed test ookla