Starlink subscribers worldwide reached 13.6 million at the end of September 2026, SpaceX said in its third-quarter results released on October 20. That’s 1.6 million more consumer users than the 12.0 million it had in June, and almost double the 7.2 million it reported a year earlier.
Nigeria is already part of that growth. The Nigerian Communications Commission’s latest internet service provider data, for the second quarter of 2026, puts Starlink Internet Services Nigeria at 98,642 active subscribers. Only Spectranet, with 111,384, has more, and the gap between the two is 12,742 users.
| Global consumer users | 13.6 million (30 September 2026) |
|---|---|
| Added in the quarter | 1.6 million |
| Average monthly revenue per user | $69, down from $83 a year earlier |
| Connectivity revenue | $5.25 billion for the quarter, up 69% year on year |
| Nigerian subscribers | 98,642 (NCC, Q2 2026) |
| Position among Nigerian ISPs | Second, behind Spectranet |
Starlink now holds almost a quarter of Nigeria’s ISP market
The NCC counts 420,989 active subscribers across all internet service providers in Nigeria for the second quarter, so Starlink’s 98,642 works out to roughly 23% of the market on its own. FiberOne Broadband sits third with 56,486, and nobody else in the commission’s top ten reaches 16,000. Starlink got there by selling a dish you set up yourself, without laying cables or building towers across the country.
Keep the scale in perspective, though. These figures cover fixed and wireless broadband ISPs, not mobile data from MTN, Airtel, Glo or T2, which is how most Nigerians get online. Measured against Starlink’s global base, Nigeria is still small, at well under 1% of the 12.0 million consumer users SpaceX reported for the same June quarter, even though it’s one of the larger slices of the local ISP market.
The average Starlink bill fell, but that isn’t a price cut
One number in the SpaceX release stands out for anyone weighing the service. Average revenue per consumer user was $69 a month in the third quarter, up from $66 in the second quarter but down from $83 a year earlier. That’s an average across every market and plan, not a price list, so it doesn’t tell you what you’ll pay in Lagos or Kano. SpaceX said the latest quarter’s subscriber growth came from developed markets and didn’t break the figures down by country.
The company also pointed to a “Starlink Mobile” strategy and an agreement to buy 800 MHz spectrum, which it expects to close in the first half of 2027. It gave no details on whether, or when, any of that would reach Nigeria, and nothing in the results changes the Nigerian kit or monthly prices. If you’re thinking of buying, check the current price on Starlink’s own site rather than relying on older figures, and confirm the plan type before you pay.
What this growth could mean for your home internet options
Starlink’s numbers add competition for local broadband providers at a time when lawmakers are already questioning service quality, with the House of Representatives giving MTN, Airtel and Glo’s chief executives until October 28 to explain poor network. Demand for data keeps climbing too, after the NCC reported a record 1.76 million terabytes used in August, so the fight for reliable home connections isn’t going away.
Watch the NCC’s third-quarter ISP figures when they’re published, because they’ll show whether Starlink has overtaken Spectranet for first place. If your current provider keeps failing you in the meantime, the commission’s complaint process is worth using before you switch, and our guide on how to complain to the NCC explains how it works.
