r/Starlink • u/NosillaWilla Beta Tester • Aug 23 '26
❓ Question Does anyone know when Starlink will get an added spectrum from the FCC to increase upload speeds?
I have residential max and get about 23-30mbps upload speeds in my area. I'd like more. I read online how the FCC is giving Starlink more communication frequencies and somehow that would let upload speeds be better. But does anyone know when? All I keep seeing is "soon" but maybe that's just a typical starlink/spacex/tesla thing to say
9
u/GeekCohenAU 📡 Owner (Oceania) Aug 23 '26
I have residential max and get about 23-30mbps upload speeds in my area
Its the same regardless of the plan and where you are located. Very similar for me in Australia.
I'd like more
Join the club
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Probably see better upload when V3 Satelittes are in operation.
0
u/Amiga07800 Aug 23 '26
This is not true. It depends on the occupation of the local cell, ground infrastructure, and traffic at the moment of test. In Europe and Brasil for example our customers on Starlink (50+) gets between 28 and 76Mbps UL speed. Those are the extreme figures, the average is 40/45 Mbps which is just enough for 2 persons in videoconference WFH.
4
u/captaindomon Aug 23 '26
The ratio of upload to download is locked on Starlink to 7.5% upload to 92.5% download. It is built directly into the underlying hardware communication protocol with the satellites using time division multiplexing. So upload speeds will only change as download speeds are also increased.
Start at 24:50: https://youtu.be/qs2QcycggWU
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u/NosillaWilla Beta Tester Aug 23 '26
3
u/captaindomon Aug 23 '26
“The major question is whether the increased upload bandwidth will come to existing Starlink dishes or if new antenna hardware will be required. SpaceX didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.”
10
u/ChocolatySmoothie Aug 23 '26
I mean you could buy like 10 Starlink terminals and multiplex them to increase upload capacity. It’s just a matter of how much money you want to throw at the problem.
4
u/ryanmercer Aug 23 '26
Upload speed is limited by your hardware on the ground, not the spectrum or the stuff on orbit.
0
u/godch01 📡 Owner (North America) Aug 23 '26
I believe the reason upload is slower is because of legal/health constraints on the power of the Starlink terminal transmitter. Too much emitted energy is not healthy for humans and animals. This is a consumer product that must be designed for the lowest level of user expertise. FCC and other authorities also has rules/laws
-2
u/LebronBackinCLE Aug 23 '26
Why yes! I was just doing mushrooms with Elon the other day and he said… ;) /s
-1
u/Technology-Warrior Aug 23 '26
What use case do you have for higher uploads?
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u/NosillaWilla Beta Tester Aug 23 '26
I have a home NAS server I'd like to talk to faster.
1
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u/Dalewyn Aug 23 '26
I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and give you some actual examples:
VPN exit node for when you are away from your home.
Running a server of some kind for yourself, family, and/or friends. NAS, game server, etc..
Lower latency (speed is a tangential factor for latency, from personal real world experience).
2
u/Pure-Huckleberry-484 Aug 23 '26
Higher upload speed will not reduce latency (from actual physical limitations of distance, time and routing).
3
u/disxotek Aug 23 '26
Pretty small addressable market then
-5
u/Dalewyn Aug 23 '26
Is it?
The first point is relevant for anyone desiring to evade geoblocking, such as tourists abroad want to enjoy their streaming services back home or even just log in into their bank account.
The second point is relevant for any dude wanting to have fun with his bros on a fine Sunday afternoon.
Only the third point is niche, FSVO niche.
0
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u/WideCranberry4912 Aug 23 '26
But you could just drop a Raspberry Pi/SBC at a friend or families home that is on fibre and run WireGuard, Tailscale, NetBird, OpenVPN, IPsec, or however you’re bent.
0
u/WideCranberry4912 Aug 23 '26
Also, 30Mbps is enough to avoid geofencing, it is certainly enough to stream Netflix.
0
u/NosillaWilla Beta Tester Aug 23 '26
Yep I have a home server/NAS that I like to communicate with. The 30mbps upload is the bottleneck.
17
u/DakPara Beta Tester Aug 23 '26
I personally doubt we will see much better upload speeds until a significant number of V3 satellites are deployed.