Namibia and South Africa might have rejected Starlink, but according to global analysts Opensignal, it is currently riding a wave of unprecedented momentum and has now evolved from a last-resort connectivity option into a mainstream broadband competitor.
Its acceleration also shows no signs of slowing as the company is also set to enter untapped markets like India and finalise partnerships with mobile giants like Deutsche Telekom to launch satellite-to-cell services, says the research group.
According to its latest report – From the last resort to first choice: Why Starlink is gaining new customers worldwide – Opensignal switching data shows that Starlink’s win share of customers switching ISPs grew across major markets throughout 2025 – with particularly high shares in rural Australia and Canada.
Also, Opensignal observed a significant boost in reliability since the V2 Mini satellite and inter-Satellite Links (ISL) were rolled out – Starlink’s Reliability Experience scores surge by more than 30% in Canada and the UK, and over 25% in the US.
Opensignal subscriber analytics, which assesses market share and flow share for competitive switching, shows that Starlink is no longer filling rural coverage gaps. Users are increasingly churning from traditional ISPs to make it their primary gateway. Essentially, Starlink is winning wherever the prohibitive cost of building physical networks has left traditional providers unable to offer a competitive alternative.
Some key findings from the report include:
- Price reductions drive expansion: In more mature markets, Starlink has lowered monthly fees and offered free kit rentals driving big customer gains in North America, Europe, and Oceania.
- High barriers, higher demand: Affordability remains a hurdle in emerging markets, yet despite hardware costs and demand surcharges that represent a massive portion of local income, Starlink frequently sells out its available capacity. This robust demand gives Starlink little reason to cut prices in regions where they are already struggling to keep up with the waitlists.
- Operational risk: Despite its lead, Starlink faces increasing structural risks, particularly regarding launch dependency on SpaceX’s Starship schedule and mounting regulatory pressure concerning orbital crowding.