Starlink users in Nigeria have just a few hours to update their accounts or risk losing internet access.
Over 66,000 subscribers must complete a mandatory biometric verification by December 31, 2025, or their service will be suspended.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) first issued the requirement in August 2025, expanding its subscriber-verification framework from mobile networks to satellite internet providers.
According to an NCC spokesperson, the directive was communicated in a letter dated August 19, 2025, initially giving users three months to comply. An extension moved the final deadline to the end of this year.
Starlink confirmed the update requirement in an email to customers on December 29, noting that the verification “takes less than two minutes.” The company warned that users who miss the deadline may face suspension.
Reactivation will depend on network capacity in each location, meaning some subscribers could permanently lose access if their area is already at capacity.
A Starlink employee, speaking anonymously, explained the process: users must upload a headshot, provide their National Identification Number (NIN), and consent to link the information to their account.
Capacity is already an issue in urban hotspots. In Lagos, districts such as Victoria Island, Ikoyi, Lekki, Surulere, Lagos Island, and Ikeja frequently show as “sold out” on Starlink’s availability checker. Abuja faces a similar situation, with several districts accepting only waitlist deposits for new users.
This aligns with the NCC’s NIN–SIM linkage programme for mobile operators, first rolled out in 2020. That initiative required all SIM cards to be tied to a verified NIN, including facial and fingerprint data, in partnership with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).
By September 14, 2024, mobile operators were ordered to bar any unverified lines. The NCC later reported 96% compliance, with over 153 million SIMs successfully linked.
The NCC says the biometric verification strengthens national security, improves fraud prevention, and ensures the reliability of Nigeria’s subscriber database. Linking satellite accounts to NINs also prevents anonymous usage and aligns with the country’s broader digital identity strategy.
Starlink’s speedy growth in Nigeria, its largest African market since launching in 2023, makes compliance essential. Regulators in other countries, such as India and Kenya, have introduced similar ID verification requirements for telecom services.
For Starlink Nigeria users who miss the deadline, the consequences, especially with many urban areas already oversubscribed, may be difficult.
