Starlink, the Internet company founded by Elon Musk, has become Nigeria's third-largest Internet Service Provider, boasting 23,897 subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2023.

This achievement was highlighted in the latest data released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Monday.

The NCC report indicates that Starlink's active user base in Nigeria experienced a remarkable 113 percent increase in Q4 2023, up from 11,207 subscribers in the previous quarter, positioning it among the top ISPs in the nation.

In contrast, Spectranet, one of Nigeria's oldest ISPs, retained its leading market position with 113,869 active subscribers, while FiberOne secured the second spot with 27,000 users by the end of 2023.

It is important to note that ISPs differ from mobile Internet providers, such as MTN and Airtel, as they deliver Internet services through various wired technologies, including DSL, cable, fiber-optic, or satellite connections, requiring a physical link to homes or businesses.

Starlink commenced its services in Nigeria in January 2023, marking the country as the first in Africa to receive this service, following a meeting between SpaceX and the NCC over 20 months prior to the launch. By September 2023, just eight months post-launch, Starlink had already attracted 11,207 active subscribers, making it the fourth-largest ISP in Nigeria.

To encourage further adoption, Starlink Nigeria introduced a 21 percent discount on its starter kit in October 2023, lowering the price from N378,000 ($378) to N299,500 ($299).

Additionally, ISPs have recently reduced their hardware costs by over 45 percent, decreasing the price from nearly N1 million to N440,000.

The NCC's database also revealed that Nigeria had 245 licensed ISPs by the end of 2023; however, only 106 of these ISPs had active customers in the fourth quarter of the year.

During that period, the 106 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) collectively catered to 262,206 active customers.

Additionally, this year saw the licensing of seven new ISPs, bringing the total number of licensed ISPs to 252