Internet
Starlink vs Viasat vs HughesNet
Starlink's low-Earth-orbit constellation competes against the geostationary incumbents Viasat and HughesNet. Orbital altitude is the deciding factor: LEO satellites sit ~550 km up versus ~35,000 km for GEO, which transforms latency.
| Metric | Starlink | Viasat | HughesNet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median latency | ~45 ms | ~684 ms | ~683 ms |
| Median download speed | ~105 Mbps | ~49 Mbps | ~48 Mbps |
| Orbit type | LEO (~550 km) | GEO (~35,000 km) | GEO (~35,000 km) |
| Subscriber trend | Growing fast (10M+ by early 2026) | Losing subscribers | Losing subscribers |
Takeaway
Starlink is roughly 15x more responsive and about 2x faster than legacy GEO satellite internet, which is why incumbents are bleeding subscribers. The trade-off honestly noted: Starlink requires a large, growing constellation and ongoing launches to sustain coverage.
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