A new study by Luke Kehoe, Analyst at Ookla, reveals that low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband is no longer just a backup plan for a niche market: Connections such as Starlink, Amazon Leo or Iris2 are actively covering the most difficult connectivity gaps on the continent, allowing deployment and coverage where others do not reach.
Starlink’s role as a broadband provider in low Earth orbit becomes more evident in areas that do not yet have coverage. Across Europe, the service is most visible where fixed networks are delayed, weaker, difficult to extend or needed as a backup. This includes islands, farms, mountain communities, vacation homes, remote businesses and rural properties still awaiting planned improvements.
Key takeaways include:
- Starlink improved its speed in most European markets. Starlink’s average download speed in the 27 countries increased from 114.05 Mbps in the first quarter of 2025 to 165.71 Mbps in the first quarter of 2026, an increase of 45%, while download speeds improved in 26 of the 27 markets.
- Usage is most visible where fixed broadband leaves the most gaps. Thus, Bulgaria recorded the highest proportion of Starlink Speedtest samples with 8%, followed by Greece and Croatia with 6% each, and Ireland and Latvia with 4% each.
- Fixed terrestrial broadband still has important advantages. Starlink was faster than the average fixed network in median download speed in 11 of the 27 markets, but fixed networks had lower latency in all markets and better upload performance in 26 of them.
- Satellite broadband is becoming a broader European category: While Starlink is the most visible direct-to-consumer low Earth orbit (LEO) provider, Eutelsat OneWeb, Amazon Project Kuiper and the European IRIS² program point to a broader satellite connectivity market that is beginning to emerge.
Starlink’s performance is much stronger than it was just a year ago. SpaceX’s 2025 Progress Report indicated that it connected more than 4.6 million new active customers during that year and operated more than 9,000 active satellites at the end of the year. This magnitude is reflected in our consumer-driven European performance data, where investments in constellation expansion and ground stations are delivering better results on the ground.
Fixed networks and their prices limit Starlink’s role in Europe
Starlink’s excellent results in Europe do not make it a viable alternative to robust fixed broadband networks. In markets with consolidated fiber optic, cable or high-speed fixed broadband infrastructures, their coverage is much lower.
In the first quarter of 2026, seven analyzed markets recorded a Starlink market share of less than 1%: Denmark, Malta, Finland, Romania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Slovenia. In this group, Starlink download speeds were, on average, 81.82 Mbps slower than the national average speed.
Spain, Europe’s star country for fiber optics, also demonstrates how robust fixed networks and dedicated public satellite programs can limit Starlink’s role in the mass market.
The national average download speed in Spain, according to Ookla, was 277.98 Mbps in the first quarter of 2026, 110.24 Mbps faster than Starlink. Its Conectate35 satellite program offers satellite broadband in rural areas where there is no fixed terrestrial coverage, making the satellite more of a specific coverage tool than a generalized alternative.
The conclusion for the consumer is clear. Starlink is establishing itself as a reliable home broadband option in areas of Europe where fixed networks are weak, slow, expensive to expand or needed as a backup. Its best performance occurs in areas with less coverage, where it is more difficult to reach homes.
In Spain, the Conectate35 satellite program offers satellite broadband in rural areas where there is no fixed terrestrial coverage
It remains a complement to fiber-focused policies, with a secondary role in mature fixed markets. Where fiber, cable or fixed wireless are fast, affordable and widely adopted, Starlink still has a minor presence in the market. Where those networks weaken, Starlink data shows where Europe’s most pressing broadband problems persist.
