Starlink in France: download speeds rise 40% as latency falls

Starlink has just delivered its strongest results yet in France: download speeds are up 40%, upload speeds have risen by 38%, and latency has fallen. Following two years of stagnation caused by a huge influx of subscribers, SpaceX’s satellite network is accelerating again, helped by an expanded constellation and 270 Tbps of capacity added over a year.

Starlink is emerging from its difficult period in France. For the past two years, speeds had flatlined and latency had remained unchanged. This was the price of its popularity: these issues were chiefly caused by the arrival of new subscribers, which inevitably reduced overall network quality. In 2026, however, the trend is clearly reversing.

Starlink performance in France: faster download and upload speeds

According to a Zone ADSL&Fibre study drawing on 3,687 tests carried out in France, average download speed has now reached 125 Mb/s, a 37% increase on earlier measurements. Upload performance has improved even more sharply, averaging 22 Mb/s, up 38%. Although they are not representative of everyday use, peak results are striking: 922 Mb/s for downloads and 936 Mb/s for uploads.

Latency, the major weakness of this satellite internet solution, is also improving: it averages 42 ms (-9%), while the lowest recorded result was 4 ms. These figures remain far behind fibre or 5G for activities that are sensitive to ping, but they are incomparable with older geostationary satellites, which hovered around 600 ms.

SpaceX adds 270 Tbps of Starlink network capacity

The past two years of stagnation have a straightforward explanation: Starlink’s subscriber base grew far more quickly than the network’s capacity could accommodate. More users sharing the same network inevitably means less bandwidth for each person.

SpaceX has since stepped up the rollout of its constellation. There are now more than 9,000 active satellites, including a more capable new generation. As a result, the network’s combined capacity rose from 340 Tbps to 610 Tbps over one year, adding 270 Tbps. This additional capacity explains the recovery in speeds, despite demand continuing to grow.

Starlink, a genuine option for households left behind by fibre

These figures make clear that Starlink cannot compete with fibre optic broadband. On average speeds, satellite internet is roughly eight times slower than a consumer fibre connection. The Zone ADSL&Fibre press release describes it as “4 times slower”, which corresponds to entry-level fibre, but the gap is considerably wider when compared with 1 Gbps packages, which have now become standard.

Starlink is, however, a remarkable solution for the 6 to 7 million French households without fibre coverage, for whom copper ADSL, now nearing the end of its life, is no longer a sustainable choice. We also tested the Starlink solution ourselves in the middle of the countryside. We were not disappointed by the experience. The video provides the proof.

Subscribe to Presse-citron

Discover our original Starlink series

• How Starlink remains the champion of satellite internet - and continues to widen the gap
• Starlink: subscription package prices, equipment, speeds, and everything you need to know
• 6 things to know about the new Starlink Mini dish, which promises the best satellite internet offer