Analyst: Starlink Mobile hits a density wall

Analyst Vish Nandlall's model finds a next-gen Starlink beam delivers about 0.33 Mbps per km², enough for a 10% mobile share only up to roughly 82 people per km². Beyond that, satellite service needs terrestrial nodes, power and backhaul.

• Beam carries ~25 Mbps, or 0.33 Mbps per km² with 25 MHz of downlink
• 10% share threshold is ~82 people per km², covering 91% of populated US land
• Density band of 100–1,500 people per km² needs ~8.1 million ground nodes
• A 250 m² array raises the threshold to just above 1,000 people per km²