Achieving a Low Latency Goal: Starlink reduces latency to 33ms, aiming for 20ms.

Starlink has reported progress in reducing latency in the system, with the median latency dropping from 48.5ms to 33ms and the 99th percentile latency decreasing from 150ms to 65ms. Their goal is to further reduce this to 20ms.

Despite Starlink being a satellite service operating at an altitude of up to 500 kilometers, the latency incurred due to the distance traveled by the waves is only around 1.8-3.6ms per leg, totaling less than 10ms overall. However, the increase in latency stems from the Fronthaul, which connects the satellites themselves to transmit data to ground stations. As data continuously moves through the satellites, latency increases, exacerbated by excessive buffering at various hops.

Currently, Starlink has over 2.6 million customers, with peak usage occurring from 6 PM to 3 AM.

TLDR: Starlink is making strides in reducing latency, but challenges remain in addressing buffering issues for optimal performance.