Starlink leads satellite internet in Brazil in 2024

Recent data from Anatel reveals that Starlink leads the satellite internet market in Brazil, totaling 200 thousand customers in May 2024. Hughesnet ranks second with 179,000 customers. In just one month, Starlink saw a jump of 38,000 accesses, while Hughesnet saw a slight drop, from 180,000 to 179,000 accesses.

On an annual basis, Starlink’s growth is even more remarkable, jumping from 57,000 accesses in 2023 to the current 200,000. In the same period, Hughesnet fell from 195,000 to 179,000 accesses. This dynamic highlights Starlink’s continued advancement and the decline of its competitors. But the question remains: why?

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Why has Starlink grown so much?

In May 2024, Starlink captured 42.5% of the satellite internet segment, while Hughesnet held 38.1%. The previous year, the share was 15.8% for Starlink and 53.6% for Hughesnet.

This leap can be attributed to the superior technology of Starlink, operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which uses an extensive network of low-orbit satellites, providing greater bandwidth and latencies below 40 ms. Below you can see the ranking of companies that provide satellite internet in Brazil:

• 01. Starlink – 200,320 hits
• 02. Hughesnet – 179,462 hits
• 03. ViaSat – 26,456 hits
• 04. Telebras – 20,784 hits
• 05. Claro – 19,572 hits

In Brazil, Starlink residential packages start at R$184 per month, in addition to the cost of purchasing the antenna and receiver kit, set at R$2,000.

Satellite broadband is essential for remote areas or those poorly served by other technologies. In May 2024, only 0.9% of broadband connections in Brazil were made via satellite. According to Anatel, the distribution of fixed broadband technologies in the country was:

• Optical fiber: 75.5%
• Cabo coaxial: 17,4%
• Radio: 3.5%
• Metal cable: 2.6%
• Satellite: 0.9%

With 471 thousand satellite accesses in May, Minas Gerais leads with 70 thousand connections, followed by São Paulo with 51 thousand and Pará with 40 thousand.