As of Q3 2024, Elon Musk’s internet company, Starlink, is now the second-largest Internet Service Provider (ISP) in Nigeria in terms of subscribers.
This was made clear to BrandSpur telecom and information news desk by the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) most recent ISP data. The data shows that after the quarter, the company’s active client base in Nigeria grew to 65,564, overtaking FiberOne, which had previously had the second-highest number of users.
According to NCC data, Starlink had 23,897 users as of December 2023, making it the third-largest ISP at the time. According to the Q3 2024 statistics, Starlink added 41,667 throughout the first nine months of the previous year.
At the end of Q3 2024, Spectranet, one of Nigeria’s oldest ISPs, still held the top rank in the market with 105,441 active users. However, considering that the company’s customer base was 113,869 at the end of 2023, this means that it lost more than 8,000 subscribers in the first three quarters of the year.
Continuing, with 33,010 active customers at the end of Q3 2024, FiberOne, which was formerly the second-largest ISP, came in a far third.
There are now 241 companies in Nigeria with ISP licenses, according to the NCC database. As of Q3 2024, just 124 of the ISPs had active clients, according to recently revealed customer data. According to NCC data, the 124 ISPs had 307,946 active consumers overall during the reviewed period.
Nonetheless, the number remains relatively low when compared to internet users of the nation’s four mobile network operators (MNOs).
132.4 million internet subscribers were active with MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9mobile as of September 2024.
In January 2023, Starlink announced its arrival in Nigeria, and despite its higher prices than local ISPs, it generated a lot of interest among
People in places with inadequate internet networks are also encouraged to choose Starlink due to the widespread availability of its satellite service. The number of customers that Starlink has acquired in less than two years of operation is significantly greater than that of many local ISPs that have been in business in Nigeria for several years.
In the meantime, Starlink raised the monthly subscription fee from N38,000 to N75,000 in December of last year. The hike followed an initial dispute with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecom regulator, which claimed that Starlink had not obtained permission before announcing a pricing increase.
At some point last year, Starlink had to halt new orders in three major cities—Port Harcourt, Abuja, and Lagos—because it was at capacity due to the growing demand for its service. Starlink was likewise “sold out” in Warri and Benin City at the same time.
