Ookla’s latest satellite broadband data shows Starlink accounting for 97.1% of global speed tests. A sign that connectivity is shifting from terrestrial networks to a new orbital infrastructure layer.
A single number can sometimes reveal a structural shift.
According to Ookla’s latest Global Satellite Broadband Performance Report, SpaceX’s Starlink accounted for 97.1% of worldwide satellite broadband speed tests in Q3 2025.
That figure is not just market leadership.
It suggests something deeper:
Starlink is no longer a “project.” It is becoming infrastructure.
For decades, the internet was defined by terrestrial constraints:
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cables
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towers
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geography
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national networks
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physical bottlenecks at the edge
Low-Earth orbit connectivity changes the equation.
When satellite broadband delivers median download speeds approaching 187 Mbps in top markets, with latency under 60 ms, the distinction between “remote” and “connected” begins to dissolve.
From off-grid households running solar setups, to ships at sea, to villages far beyond traditional coverage, Starlink is increasingly filling the gaps left by terrestrial networks.
The implication is simple but profound:
the web is ascending into orbit.
This is not only a telecommunications story.
It is an infrastructure story — one that reshapes how information, AI systems, and digital economies distribute themselves across the planet.
Competitors like Amazon’s Kuiper will arrive.
Congestion and variability will remain real constraints.
But the signal is already visible:
The next internet layer may not be built on the ground.
It may be built above it.
For a short discussion thread, see here:
https://x.com/achille610/status/2019705468797726746
