Satellite internet is contributing to the rapid growth of worldwide connectivity. Experts anticipate a 725% rise in the number of satellites orbiting Earth by 2030, reaching 58,000, up from 2023. In Q2 2023, Ookla released new data on satellite internet in Africa, Europe, and Oceania, featuring companies like SpaceX’s Starlink, Viasat, and Skylogic as part of our ongoing series.
Starlink, launched in Nigeria this January and in Kenya a few weeks ago, shows promising early results. According to Speedtest Intelligence, Starlink in Nigeria achieved faster median download speeds (63.69 Mbps) in Q2 2023 compared to all combined fixed broadband providers (15.60 Mbps). Upload speeds were similar, with Starlink at 13.72 Mbps and aggregated fixed broadband providers at 10.60 Mbps during the same period. Starlink had slightly higher multi-server latency (55.88 ms) than fixed broadband providers (50.26 ms) in Q2 2023.
In Rwanda, median download speeds were closer, with Starlink recording a median download speed of 63.10 Mbps in Q2 2023, compared to the combined fixed broadband providers at 34.55 Mbps. However, Starlink lagged in median upload speed at 6.88 Mbps, compared to 10.05 Mbps for fixed broadband providers during Q2 2023. Multi-server latency for Starlink was significantly higher at 320.45 ms, while fixed broadband providers had lower latency at 29.04 ms during the same period.
While Starlink continues to lead among satellite providers in most areas of the world, its expansion is only starting. Looking at the Starlink availability map, Starlink has an incredibly busy rest of 2023 and 2024 in Africa, Asia, and South America — and they’re marking their intent to expand into most of the world. That comes as Starlink marked launching over 5,000 satellites into space at the end of August. With some entrepreneurs renting out their Starlink to vacationers and campers for $25-30 a day, satellite connectivity is genuinely becoming a full-time gig.
