According to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Starlink, Elon Musk’s internet company, has risen to become Nigeria’s third-largest Internet Service Provider (ISP) by subscriber number in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2023.
NCC’s latest data reveals that Starlink’s active customers in Nigeria surged to 23,897 in Q4 of 2023, marking a significant increase from the 11,207 customers reported in Q3 2023, representing a 113% growth in customers quarter on quarter.
While Spectranet retained its position as the top ISP with 113,869 active customers, FiberOne secured the second spot with 27,000 active users by the end of 2023.
Despite being relatively costly compared to local ISPs, Starlink’s satellite service has attracted considerable interest among Nigerians seeking improved internet connectivity, especially in areas with poor network coverage.
As of December 2023, Nigeria’s four major mobile network operators—MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile—recorded a total of 163.8 million active internet subscriptions.
The NCC database indicates that seven new ISPs have been licensed this year, bringing the total number of licensed ISPs in Nigeria to 252.
Last month, Starlink announced a 45% price slash on its router to win more Nigerian customers. The Starlink internet router, which was sold for N800,000 before that time, was slashed to N440,000 in April 2024. However, the monthly subscription for the internet service remains unchanged at N38,000 per month.
Although Starlink officially announced its presence in Nigeria in January last year, Nigerians had been pre-ordering its hardware since 2022. The company, which initially quoted its prices in dollars at $600 for the hardware and $43 for the subscription, changed to naira upon its official announcement.
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