Starlink subscribers now 65,564 – NCC

Elon Musk’s Starlink has emerged as Nigeria’s second-largest Internet Service Provider, surpassing FiberOne in subscriber numbers, while Spectranet retained its market lead, according to new data from the Nigerian Communications Commission.

The telecom regulator’s Q3 2024 report, uploaded on its website on Friday, showed that Spectranet remained the dominant ISP with 105,441 active users, despite shedding more than 8,000 subscribers from its 113,869 base in December 2023.

Starlink, which launched in Nigeria in January 2023, saw rapid adoption, expanding its customer base to 65,564—an increase of 41,667 subscribers in nine months—placing FiberOne in third position with 33,010 users.

Despite Nigeria having 241 licensed ISPs, only 124 reported active customers in Q3 2024, collectively serving 307,946 users.

However, this figure trails in comparison to the dominance of mobile network operators MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile, which accounted for over 130 million internet subscriptions as of September 2024.

Starlink’s rapid growth has been driven by its satellite-based infrastructure, which offers connectivity in underserved regions where traditional ISPs struggle to operate.

By Q4 2023, the company had already climbed to third place with 23,897 active users, reflecting a 113 per cent surge from the previous quarter.

The company’s expansion has been bolstered by strategic partnerships with local businesses such as Nigeria’s TD Africa and Konga.

In 2023, Starlink temporarily suspended new orders in major cities, including Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, due to capacity constraints.