Ookla’s report lists US Starlink median multi-server latency of 39 ms in Q1 2026

What changed

On May 5, 2026, Ookla published a report on Starlink’s US performance based on its Speedtest data. The figures for Q1 2026:

• Median multi-server latency: 39 ms. In Ookla’s words, “Starlink has a latency of just 39 ms as of Q1 2026.”
• Median download: 127.39 Mbps.
• Median upload: 21.46 Mbps.

The report also looks back at 2025:

• In the second half of 2025, 10 states had a Starlink median multi-server latency under 40 ms, up from one state (New Jersey) in the second half of 2024.
• Starlink’s median multi-server latency improved in all but three states (Hawaii, New Mexico and Oregon).
• In Q4 2025, 44.7% of Starlink Speedtest users got at least 100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up, the FCC’s broadband benchmark, up from 17.4% in Q1 2025.

When

• Published: May 5, 2026.
• Periods covered: the second half of 2024 through Q1 2026.

Who is affected and what it means for you

This is the largest independent snapshot of US Starlink performance we’ve seen for early 2026, and it points the same way as Starlink’s own figures: latency down, speeds up.

Two things to keep in mind when you read it:

1. It’s a different measurement from Starlink’s. Starlink’s 25.7 ms is a company figure for peak hours. Ookla’s 39 ms is a “multi-server” latency from user-run speed tests, which includes the path to several test servers. Neither is wrong; they measure different things, so don’t subtract one from the other.
2. Speed tests aren’t work days. A speed test runs for a few seconds when someone chooses to run it. It doesn’t capture a two-second drop in the middle of a call at 2 p.m. on a Tuesday, which is what our Work-Day Reliability Report is designed to show for one connection.

The upload figure is the one to watch for work. A median of 21.46 Mbps is plenty for one video call, but two people on calls while someone else uploads photos can still saturate it.

What you can do now

1. Run your own tests at the times you work, not just once in the evening.
2. Look at upload as well as latency. If your upload during calls is far below the median, check obstructions, Wi-Fi and other uploads in the house.
3. Gamers: a 39 ms median is fine for most games; our gaming verdict explains why fast shooters still feel the variation.
4. Our report method page explains how the owner’s logger measures latency every minute, and how you can run the same logger.

What stays the same

• Plans, prices, CGNAT and IP policy are unaffected.
• Speed-by-state comparisons are outside what this site covers; we only report the national latency figures here.

What we don’t know yet

• How the Q2 and Q3 2026 figures compare; Ookla hadn’t published them in a report we read.
• How much of the improvement comes from network changes versus changes in who runs speed tests.

This item is background: it was published more than 90 days before this page.

Source

Starlink Hits New Highs in the U.S. (Ookla)

Source date May 5, 2026. Retrieved Oct 6, 2026.

Related guides on this site

• Work-Day Reliability Report Minute-by-minute latency, jitter, loss and outages by workday hour from the owner’s own connection, with raw CSV.
• How the report is measured The logger, the probe targets, what counts as an outage, the thresholds, and how to run the same logger at home.
• Is Starlink good for gaming? Ping by game type, why it varies, and the honest verdict: fine for most games, not for competitive shooters.

Correction log

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