Users of satellite internet service provider, Starlink, in Nigeria are to complete a mandatory biometric ‘Know Your Customer (KYC)’ process as a precondition to continue enjoying their services. According to biometricupdate.com, more than 66,000 Starlink subscribers in the country had a December 31 ultimatum from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to complete the biometric verification or have their connection discontinued.
The process entails linking a Starlink account with the subscriber’s national digital ID. The NCC had first issued the directive in August last year, setting a three-month deadline which was to elapse on November 19. The regulator, however, later extended it to December 31 after consultations with industry stakeholders. The commission said internet account-NIN linkage was to enhance identity verification and strengthen security within the country’s telecoms space.
Just a few days to the December 31 deadline, Starlink’s Nigeria office sent an email to its subscribers reminding them of the KYC requirement, warning that all those who failed to comply would be disconnected. It also warned that once disconnected, reconnection would depend on network capacity in the concerned area. The service provider said in its email that the process takes less than two minutes and users can complete it by logging in to their account via an app.
Starlink’s internet service is present in about 155 countries with nine million users, as of 2025. The Traffic reported that Starlink’s growth in Nigeria is rising rapidly, making it now the second-largest internet service provider in the country. Biometric identification for Starlink subscribers could become a continent-wide trend given that some countries have expressed reservations in opening up their internet space to the company over security concerns.
There’ve been fears that jihadists in countries like Mali and Nigeria may have exploited Starlink terminals to coordinate terror operations, and cybersecurity experts have also warned of risks related to weak regulation, digital sovereignty and data breaches. The requirement for Starlink internet users to have their accounts linked with the NIN is similar to the SIMNIN linkage policy which the Nigerian government battled to implement for many years, with many deadline extensions.
