Starlink is more than twice as fast as 4G and 5G home broadband in rural UK, study finds
New Opensignal data puts Starlink well ahead of EE, Three and Vodafone's mobile home broadband in the countryside, but level with Three in towns and cities.
If your home is out of reach of full fibre and you've been weighing up Starlink against a 4G or 5G home broadband router, new data suggests the satellite service is the quicker and more dependable option in the countryside, though not by much in towns and cities.
The figures come from a study by Opensignal, which uses speed tests run in the background by its app to compare Starlink with mobile "fixed wireless access" (FWA) broadband, the 4G and 5G routers sold by mobile networks, across 14 European countries between April and June 2026.
The UK results
In rural parts of the UK, Starlink averaged download speeds of 80.8Mbps. The fastest rural mobile broadband service was Three's, at 32.4Mbps, followed by EE at 29.5Mbps and Vodafone at 24.4Mbps, according to Broadband Switch's write-up of the data. In other words, Starlink was roughly two and a half times faster than the best mobile option.
Speed isn't everything, so Opensignal also measured "consistent quality": how often a connection is good enough for demanding tasks such as HD video streaming, video calls and online gaming. Starlink scored 68.1% in rural areas, ahead of EE on 62.1%.
The picture changes in built-up areas, where mobile masts are closer together and 5G coverage is better. There, Three's average download speed of 81.2Mbps was level with Starlink's 80.8Mbps.
Some caveats
ISPreview points out that the study only covers broadband from the mobile networks. Smaller fixed wireless providers, which beam broadband to rural homes from their own masts, weren't included. And these are averages: your own results will depend on how good the mobile signal is at your address and, for Starlink, whether the dish has a clear view of the sky.
Neither option matches a full fibre line, which is faster, has lower latency (the delay before data starts to arrive) and isn't affected by weather. If fibre is available at your address, it's still the best choice.
What it means for gamers
Starlink's satellites orbit much lower than traditional broadband satellites, so its latency is far better than the satellite internet of old and fine for most online games. It is still generally higher and more variable than a good fibre connection, so players of fast competitive shooters may notice the difference. Big game downloads and updates are where Starlink's speed advantage over rural 4G and 5G will be most obvious.
On cost, a 4G or 5G router usually works out cheaper month to month than Starlink, which also needs its own dish. If you're in a rural area with a strong 5G signal, mobile broadband may well be good enough. If the signal is patchy, the Opensignal data suggests Starlink is the more reliable bet.
Easier to get than it was
Starlink is available across the UK on rolling monthly contracts, and BT and EE announced last year that they would offer Starlink to rural customers who can't get decent wired broadband. Plans and prices change frequently, so check Starlink's website for the latest before you order.
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