Among those who have secured a coveted Starlink satellite hookup, customer satisfaction is high compared to traditional fixed broadband providers, especially in non-metro areas, according to new data from Ookla.
Based on its own Speedtest data, Ookla charted the net promoter score (NPS) of Starlink and its ISP rivals. Typically calculated on a scale of zero to 100 (though it can go to -100), the NPS is how likely a respondent is to recommend a service to family and friends. "The difference in NPS between Starlink and all fixed broadband providers combined is stark," Ookla says.
In metro areas, Starlink had an NPS of 31.94 in Q4 2022 and Q1 2023 compared to -23.62 for all metro fixed broadband providers combined. SpaceX's satellite internet service came out on top "despite Starlink having a median download speed of 65.29Mbps compared to 203.93Mbps for all metro fixed broadband providers combined," Ookla notes.
Head to more rural areas, and Starlink comes in at 42.21 compared to -21.27. "That's especially notable given that Starlink’s median download speed was much closer to the median nonmetro fixed broadband speed at 72.18Mbps to 100.41Mbps," Ookla says.
"Clearly, Starlink provides a much loved option for more rural, non-metro users who often don’t have many good—if any—internet options," says Ookla content specialist Josh Fomon. "And the message is loud and clear: Starlink users are more than willing to recommend the service and love the internet they are getting.”
Starlink, of course, is a relatively new player in the internet space. And those who have signed on are very eager to get it. Despite the cost and potential for congestion as SpaceX builds up its satellite array, many people in rural areas are just happy to have internet service that doesn't force them to tap into their cellular data for streaming, gaming, and Zoom calls.
People aren't nearly as charmed by traditional fixed broadband providers that have been around for years and sometimes have a monopoly even in the biggest cities. In PCMag's 2022 Readers' Choice survey for ISPs (which we rank on a scale from zero to 10 for NPS), the biggest names—Spectrum and Comcast Xfinity—landed at 6.6. Starlink, meanwhile, got an 8.7 in our survey; the only ISP to beat it was AT&T Fiber at 8.8.
Starlink, which uses orbiting satellites to beam broadband to internet users on the ground, has sought to improve speeds and open itself up to more customers by launching more satellites. A launch last week, with another 56 satellites onboard, brings the total number in orbit to 4,023.
Starlink’s high customer satisfaction rankings may raise some eyebrows given reports that users have complained that the satellite ISP takes ages to reply to customer complaints, with some users reportedly waiting weeks for solutions to issues.
Disclosure: Ookla is owned by PCMag parent company, Ziff Davis.