Image: Starlink
Starlink has reached a major milestone in Kenya, setting a new all-time record for active users as SpaceX’s high-speed satellite internet service continues to gain momentum both across Africa and globally. According to data reported by TechAfrica News, Starlink Internet Services Kenya hit 19,460 active users as of September 2025 — its highest subscriber count since the service first launched locally in July 2023.
The growth marks a strong rebound for the company. Starlink had been forced to pause new residential sign-ups in dense urban centers like Nairobi and Mombasa back in December 2024 to deal with network congestion. That freeze remained in place for seven months, and active users dropped to 17,066 by March 2025. However, after reopening registrations in June, subscriber numbers began climbing again, rising to 17,425 in June and then jumping to 19,460 by September.
The recovery highlights Kenya’s continued demand for premium satellite broadband, especially in areas where fiber connectivity remains limited or unreliable. At the same time, the earlier registration freeze underscored the network-capacity challenges Starlink faces in high-density markets — something the company will need to continue upgrading as adoption grows.
Despite competition from larger incumbents like Safaricom, which recorded over 815,000 fixed-internet connections in the same period, Starlink remains particularly valuable in remote and peri-urban regions, where it often provides the most dependable service available.
This new record comes as Starlink accelerates on a global scale. SpaceX recently confirmed that its satellite broadband service has now surpassed eight million users across more than 150 countries and territories, with South Korea joining the network earlier this month. The service has also been gaining traction heavily outside traditional consumer markets — including aviation, where airlines continue to sign major deals for onboard Wi-Fi powered by Starlink.
Elon Musk recently revealed that Starlink is now SpaceX’s largest source of revenue. The company is even expanding into physical retail, quietly opening its first dedicated Starlink stores in the U.S. as customer demand continues to scale.
With Kenya’s numbers climbing once again and Starlink’s global footprint growing faster than ever, SpaceX’s internet service appears well-positioned for another year of rapid expansion — both on the African continent and worldwide.
