Starlink Reaches 9 Million Users Worldwide as Nigeria Sees Rapid Growth?

SpaceX’s satellite internet service, Starlink, has crossed a major global milestone, reaching about nine million users worldwide. 

The company shared the update on X, noting that Starlink is now active in one hundred and fifty-five countries and territories, a sign of how fast demand for satellite internet is growing across the world.

Reacting to the achievement, SpaceX founder Elon Musk described Starlink as a project that is “rebuilding the whole Internet in space.” 

His comment reflects the company’s long-term goal of using satellites to provide fast and reliable internet access to places where traditional broadband struggles to reach.

How fast Starlink is growing globally

Starlink’s growth over the last year has been unusually rapid. In December 2024, SpaceX reported about four point six million customers worldwide. By August 2025, that number had risen to around seven million, before climbing again to eight million in November 2025. The latest update now puts the figure at roughly nine million users.

Industry observers say this makes Starlink one of the fastest-growing broadband services in the world. An Insider report, citing data from Cloudflare, also showed that global web traffic coming from Starlink users more than doubled in 2025. 

This suggests that people are not just signing up, but are increasingly relying on the service for everyday internet use.

Nigeria emerges as a key growth market

While Starlink is expanding globally, Nigeria has become one of its most important markets. The satellite internet service officially launched in Nigeria in January 2023, after receiving its operating licence from the Nigerian Communications Commission in May 2022.

By the third quarter of 2024, Starlink had risen to become the second-largest Internet Service Provider in Nigeria, a position it has maintained since then. At that point, it had over sixty-five thousand customers, coming just behind Spectranet, Nigeria’s oldest ISP. 

Updated NCC data shows that by the second quarter of 2025, Starlink’s customer base in Nigeria had grown to more than sixty-six thousand users.

This rapid adoption has been driven by long-standing broadband gaps, frequent power supply issues, and the growing needs of businesses, tech startups, and remote workers who require more stable internet connections. 

Because Starlink uses satellites, it can deliver internet service in areas where fibre cables and mobile networks are weak or unavailable.

Why Starlink matters to SpaceX’s business

Starlink is no longer just a side project for SpaceX. Elon Musk has said that the satellite internet service is now the company’s biggest source of revenue, bringing in more recurring income than its rocket launch operations.

There are also growing reports that SpaceX may be considering an initial public offering as early as next year, with some speculative valuations reaching as high as one point five trillion dollars.

In the past, Musk has hinted that Starlink itself could be listed separately in the future, a move that could unlock even more value for investors.

Expanding Starlink’s footprint across Africa

Beyond Nigeria, Starlink is strengthening its presence across Africa, especially through its direct-to-cell service. 

This technology allows ordinary mobile phones to connect directly to satellites, potentially helping to close connectivity gaps in remote and underserved areas.

Also, Airtel Africa recently signed an agreement with SpaceX to roll out Starlink’s direct-to-cell services in several African countries, including Nigeria. Many analysts see this partnership as a potential game changer for internet access on the continent.