Internet for Rural Areas: Is Starlink Better Than Mobile Internet?

Rural town citizens in America have an ongoing dilemma in regards to finding the best rural Internet service provider. With a more limited selection of options, rural residents usually settle on DSL, satellite Internet service providers, or mobile/cellular Internet providers. If DSL companies are the outdated elder statesman of rural Internet service providers, Starlink is the sleek young upstart catching people’s attention.

Starlink is garnering buzz because of its background and what it offers. The company is the brainchild of Elon Musk and his celebrated company SpaceX. With a mission to finance SpaceX’s Mars colony plans by selling Internet services, Starlink uses the most cutting-edge technologies to provide Internet access at higher speeds than its closest satellite Internet competitors. While it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement for this service, is it still the best possible choice for rural residents?

Potential customers should be aware that Starlink has been running into availability issues with its equipment. Some customers have had their orders delayed until 2023. Also, Starlink falls victim to many of the issues that plague most satellite providers, such as high latency, data caps, and vulnerability to obstructions and interference.

If you’d like low-latency unlimited 4G rural Internet suitable for rural gaming, you may want to try a mobile Internet provider like UbiFi. Nearly all mobile Internet providers have lower latencies, such as UbiFi having an average latency of less than 75 ms. Furthermore, UbiFi also offers unlimited data with no expensive overage fees. Choosing the right rural Internet service provider will depend on your specific needs, so be sure to consider what you need before committing to any satellite or mobile company.