Uploads and large files on Starlink

Upload spec, lower Residential tiers

See the table below

US median upload (Ookla, Q1 2026)

21.46 Mbps

Data on Residential

Unlimited

Main risk

Uploads crowding out calls

Upload by plan (Starlink’s spec)

These are ranges, not guarantees, and the low end matters most for work: a call needs the floor, not the average. Ookla’s Q1 2026 US median upload for Starlink was 21.46 Mbps (third-party, not ours; checked Oct 5, 2026). Your own line can be higher or lower; run a speed test at the hours you work.

What fits in that upload

On paper, a lot. Zoom says a group call at 720p sends about 2.6 Mbps of video. Ookla’s median upload divided by that is 21.46 ÷ 2.6 ≈ 8 such streams at once (simple arithmetic on the two published figures, not a test). Teams recommends 1500 kbps for 1:1 video, and Zoom’s 1:1 1080p sends 3.8 Mbps.

The catch: a file upload doesn’t take a fair share. Cloud sync, a backup or a video upload sends as fast as the line allows. One upload can take the whole lane, and that’s when calls suffer.

Why one upload freezes everyone’s calls

When the upload is full, packets wait in a queue, usually in your router or the dish. Call packets wait in the same queue as the file. A queue of file data ahead of your voice turns into a delay you can hear: video freezes, audio stutters, then it all catches up. This is called bufferbloat. A speed test won’t show it, because it measures the line while nothing else runs.

Signs it’s bufferbloat, not the satellite:

• Freezes start when a backup, photo sync or file upload starts, and stop when it ends.
• It happens on Ethernet too, not just Wi-Fi.
• The Starlink app shows no outage at those times.

Fixes, easiest first

1. Pause sync during calls. OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive and iCloud all have a pause. So do phone photo backups, which often start when a phone joins Wi-Fi.
2. Schedule big uploads. Start large transfers at the end of the day or overnight. Many backup apps have a schedule setting; use it.
3. Set an upload limit inside the app. OneDrive, Dropbox and most backup tools let you cap upload speed. Set it well below your line’s slowest upload readings so calls keep room.
4. Turn on smart queue management (SQM) on your own router. This is the real fix. SQM keeps queues short and lets small call packets go first, even while a file upload runs. Set its upload limit a little under your line’s slower readings. It needs a third-party router, with the Starlink router in bypass mode.
5. Use transfers that resume. Short outages are part of satellite internet. Upload with an app or browser tool that resumes where it stopped, not one that restarts the whole file.
6. Send less. Compress project folders, upload proxies instead of raw footage when the client allows, and share a link rather than attaching large files to email.