In Europe, Starlink Finds Its Sweet Spot

Europe’s broadband story can look close to complete from a national coverage chart. Fiber networks are expanding, gigabit targets are embedded in policy, and many households now have much faster fixed broadband than they did a few years ago. The harder question is what happens at the edge of that progress. Starlink’s role as a low-Earth orbit broadband provider is clearest in those remaining gaps. Across Europe, the service is most visible where fixed networks are delayed, weaker, difficult to extend, or needed as backup. That includes islands, farms, mountain communities, seasonal homes, remote businesses, and rural premises still waiting for planned upgrades. Key takeaways from Speedtest data include:

• Starlink got faster in most European markets. Starlink’s median download speed across all 27 countries rose from 114.05 Mbps in Q1 2025 to 165.71 Mbps in Q1 2026, up 45%.
• Usage is most visible where fixed broadband leaves more gaps. Bulgaria had the highest Starlink Speedtest sample share at 8%, followed by Greece and Croatia at 6% each, Ireland and Latvia at 4% each.
• Terrestrial fixed broadband still has major advantages. Starlink was faster than the average fixed network on median download speed in 11 of 27 markets, but fixed networks had lower latency in every market and stronger upload performance in 26.