SpaceX’s satellite network Starlink continues to undergo improvements with a particular focus on enhancing the user experience for American subscribers. Recent reports indicate a significant reduction in signal delays for users in the United States, with a decrease of over 30% in the past month.
According to a report published on March 8, SpaceX aims to reduce signal pauses to 20 milliseconds or less. The document highlights that the median delay in the US has dropped from 48.5 ms to 33 ms during peak loads, representing a reduction of more than 30%. Even under adverse conditions, the delay has decreased by over 60% from 150 ms to 65 ms.
Users outside the US have also experienced improvements, with the median delay decreasing by 25% and up to 35% in worst-case scenarios. Data from PCMAG measurements indicate a reduction in average delay from 38 milliseconds in January to 60 milliseconds in September 2022.
Reducing signal delay is crucial for ensuring smooth online gaming and video calls through the Starlink network. SpaceX closely monitors statistics by analyzing anonymous data from millions of routers every 15 seconds.
The company acknowledges that data transmission in the Starlink network typically requires about 10 milliseconds for the entire path from the user to the satellite and back to ground stations. However, additional delays may occur due to software restrictions, such as processing delays, unoptimized buffers, or data packet losses.
SpaceX is actively addressing these challenges by implementing new algorithms and technologies. Recent improvements include queue management systems to prevent large data transfers from impacting internet speeds for other users.
By adding monitoring and metric systems at each network level, SpaceX aims at precise measurement of delays in microseconds. Optimizing signal routing is a key objective for the company.
As a result of these initiatives, many Starlink users in the US are now experiencing communication delays ranging from only 30 to 42 milliseconds.
SpaceX has pledged further reductions in signal delays through software updates, expanding ground-based infrastructure, and launching new satellites, including those in lower orbits.
Moreover, the number of STARLINK subscribers has surpassed 2.6 million, marking significant progress from December last year when the count was around 2.2 million.