SpaceX rolled out new firmware to the existing Starlink satellite Internet ground bases to prepare them for its gigabit network arrival. The update glitched and sent caused a major Starlink connectivity outage, but users started noticing increased download speeds afterward that may now become the new normal.
SpaceX has been granted a Starlink dish power boost permission for which it has been clamoring for over a year.
The Federal Communications Commission gave Starlink a green light to bring the Standard dish’s Equivalent Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) power up to 43.4 decibel watts (dBW) from the current from 42.1 count.
The Starlink Mini dish, denoted in the FCC filing as UT3-V2, got a way more impressive jump in regulated power output, and is now allowed to transmit with 39.2 dBW power instead of the standard 33.2 dBW.
The permission to emit a much stronger signal will boost the power delivery of the Starlink Mini dish while roaming, increasing the download speeds when farther from the Mini kit. Ditto for the Standard dish that is currently offered at half price across the US.
SpaceX is launching V2 satellites at a pace of 5 Tbps capacity added every week, and the average Starlink network download speeds in the US has reached 200 Mbps even in peak hours, doubling in the span of three years ago despite that the Starlink network is now serving many more subscribers.
Some users have also reported a drastic increase in Starlink download speeds to more than 300 Mbps after the firmware upgrade of its ground bases sent to prepare them for the launch of its gigabit network in 2026. While the update glitched and resulted in the longest Starlink outage to date, the reported download speed increase may have been a harbinger of things to come with the newly approved Standard and Mini dish power increase.
The boost has been greenlit by the FCC for both stationary use and while the Starlink dish is in motion, too. It, however, is not clear if existing subscribers will get the newly acquired capability unlocked with a firmware update, or only the new dishes that Starlink churns out at its Bastrop facility at a clip of 15,000 units a day will come with the increased power output.
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Daniel Zlatev – Senior Tech Writer – 1867 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2021
Wooed by tech since the industrial espionage of Apple computers and the times of pixelized Nintendos, Daniel went and opened a gaming club when personal computers and consoles were still an expensive rarity. Nowadays, fascination is not with specs and speed but rather the lifestyle that computers in our pocket, house, and car have shoehorned us in, from the infinite scroll and the privacy hazards to authenticating every bit and move of our existence.
Daniel Zlatev, 2025-09-10 (Update: 2025-09-10)
