Earlier this year in January, Starlink, the satellite internet service owned by SpaceX, announced its operation in Nigeria, the first African country to receive such.
The internet speed was top-notch and has been making waves in the internet market since it was launched.
Its high-speed internet service has been a game-changer for rural areas and remote locations that were previously underserved by traditional internet service providers. However, Starlink’s recent internet speed drop has left customers frustrated and concerned.
The internet speed drop was first reported by several Starlink customers on Reddit and Twitter, who claimed that their internet speeds had decreased significantly over the past few weeks. Some customers reported speeds as low as 5 Mbps, which is significantly lower than the average speed of 150 Mbps that Starlink promises.
Why Starlink Internet Speed Is Dropping
Starlink has acknowledged the issue and stated that the drop in internet speed is due to a “beta software bug” that is affecting some of its user terminals. The company has assured its customers that it is working on a fix and has already released a software update that is expected to improve the internet speed for most users.
Despite the reassurances, many Starlink customers are frustrated with the drop in internet speed and the lack of communication from the company. Some customers have reported spending hours on the phone with Starlink’s customer service, only to receive vague answers and no real solutions.
The internet speed drop comes at a time when Starlink is expanding its service to more customers and countries. The company has recently launched its beta service in the UK and is expected to launch its commercial service later this year. However, the recent internet speed drop may have a negative impact on the company’s reputation and customer trust.
Starlink will need to address these issues quickly and effectively if it hopes to maintain its position as a game-changer in the internet market.
However, some users are not ready to ditch the $600 Starlink internet service provider.
“I think most people who review it make the mistake of comparing it to mobile Internet. A good comparison would be fibre Internet because it is meant to be home broadband,” says Bello Gbadebo, a Starlink user from Nigeria in a conversation with Techpoint Africa.
While some users are glued to Starlink for now, others are looking at alternatives and possibly returning to traditional internet service providers regardless.
By Elijah Christopher
