Is Starlink Available In Your Area?

Starlink is already available across the entirety of North America, including all 50 states (yes, even Hawaii and Alaska) and the Virgin Islands. It also launched operations in Puerto Rico in 2023, bringing sorely needed high-speed internet connectivity to rural parts of the island.

While there used to be a waitlist for those who wanted to sign up for Starlink service in the U.S., that is now officially over. SpaceX is continually launching new satellites with improved technology to replace lost ones.

Now anyone can sign up. It doesn’t matter if you live in the middle of the Mojave Desert, the Rocky Mountains, or any other rural part of the U.S. —you can get Starlink near you.

However, the performance you’ll experience will depend entirely on where you plan on using it. Download speeds and latency vary across the country.

While Starlink is available practically anywhere in North America, not all locations are equal when it comes to the quality of download speeds and latency. As you can see from the coverage map below, higher speeds are obtainable in the western U.S. as opposed to the east. Check Starlink’s interactable coverage map to see how speeds fare in your hometown and if they’re enough for your needs.

Starlink on the move

Starlink Mobile is the service’s answer for people constantly on the move, like in an RV or a truck. This version of the service is a bit more expensive, especially if you opt for high-performance equipment that allows you to connect with Starlink while you’re literally moving.

The speeds you receive while using Starlink Mobile will entirely depend on where you are, and no speeds are ever guaranteed. If you’re not getting adequate performance, then the only thing you can do sometimes is move to a different location.

Starlink priority plans

The speed of your Starlink internet service will also depend on whether you’re using a plan that includes Priority Data. Since you’re connecting to the same satellites as thousands of other Starlink customers, only so much bandwidth can be shared. If you selected a plan that includes priority data you’ll be given, well, priority—ensuring you get the fastest speeds available.

As we just mentioned, Starlink offers faster speeds and lower latency than most other satellite providers, but it is starting to get a bit sluggish with so many new customers. So we thought we’d show you a side-by-side comparison so you can compare all of the features of different providers, including things like price and data caps.

Here’s a chart showing how Starlink compares to Hughesnet and Viasat.

Starlink’s specific expansion plans are not totally set in stone. However, the company clearly has a focus on the African continent, now that it has expanded its operations to everyone in North America and much of Europe. We expect several more countries there to have access to Starlink in the coming months.

We can also see in Starlink’s coverage map (featured below), that a whole host of countries, including huge markets like Pakistan, India, South Africa, and Argentina, are slated to receive service beginning in 2024.

Given Starlink’s rapid expansion in recent years, people in other countries in Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and Europe could see Starlink service very soon. If you’re waiting for Starlink to come to your part of the globe, the best thing to do is search for your address on the company’s website and sign up for the waitlist.

Instead of traditional land-based infrastructure like cables or phone lines, satellite internet relies on a network of advanced satellites in space. It's like having your own personal communication link to the digital world, delivered from the skies. These satellites orbit the Earth, beaming internet signals to and from your home through a small dish receiver, similar to a satellite TV dish.

This means you don't need to worry about the complex cables or wires you might associate with other types of internet. And unlike 4G or 5G internet (like that offered by T-Mobile), you don’t even need to be close to a cell phone tower. All you need is a clear view of the sky to communicate with the satellites.

The simplicity of satellite internet makes it an excellent choice in remote or rural areas, where other options might be limited. It’s also a great option for those who are constantly on the go, like those who live in RVs or on boats, since you can bring your service with you.

While satellite internet has a lot of benefits, it can be susceptible to interruptions from the weather and other obstructions, such as trees. And even when it’s working at full capacity, satellite internet is not nearly as fast as some other options, like fiber internet.

Not all satellite internet providers use the same satellites, or even the same kind of satellites. There are two main types of satellites that companies like Starlink use: Low-Earth orbit (LEO) and geostationary Earth orbit (GEO).

LEO satellites orbit the Earth at altitudes typically ranging from about 100 to 1,300 miles above the surface. These satellites are relatively close to the Earth, which results in low latency communication (which is good for online gaming and other high-demand online activities).

Starlink’s SpaceX satellites are LEO satellites, which is one of the reasons that the service has such high speeds and low latency. According to SatelliteInternet.com’s proprietary data gathered from almost million different speed tests taken across the country, Starlink’s average national speed is 48Mbps and its average latency is just 47 ms.

Compared to the average latency for satellite internet (594–624 ms), that’s a significant improvement. That’s because other providers, like Viasat and Hughesnet, use GEO satellites.

GEO satellites are positioned at a fixed point in the sky, approximately 22,000 miles above the Earth's equator. These satellites move at the same rotational speed as the Earth, so they actually appear stationary when you look up at them. This characteristic makes them ideal for services that require constant coverage of a specific geographic area, such as television broadcasting and weather monitoring. The drawback is, due to the distance from Earth, the latency is much higher.

While Starlink is currently the provider with the biggest fleet of LEO satellites, Hughesnet is working on fusing LEO and GEO satellites into a single system. Actually, it turns out that Viasat is as well. Hopefully this means satellite internet will be faster and more responsive in the coming years for all customers.

If you live outside of the U.S. (or you have Starlink Mobile and plan to travel outside the country soon), then you might still be asking, “Is Starlink internet available where I am?”

The answer is yes, if you live in one of the 40 countries that Starlink currently services. If you’re in one of the other 155 countries in the world, then you’ll have to wait.

Here’s a full list of the countries where Starlink is currently operating.

While Starlink has done away with the deposit requirement for U.S. customers, people in other countries may still have to drop $99–$500 to reserve their spot in line (no one ever said Starlink was one of the cheapest internet options).