FCC Says Starlink Has Over 7 Million US Subscribers. Wait, What?

A new report from the Federal Communications Commission suggests that Starlink's growth in the US has somehow tripled, reaching over 7 million subscribers. 

The 7 million figure is in Friday's "Section 706"  report  from the FCC, which examines broadband access nationwide, covering fixed and mobile services. In releasing the report, the commission not only touted progress in expanding access to high-speed broadband and 5G mobile, but also highlighted the expansion of satellite internet services, including SpaceX's Starlink . 

"Satellite service is also rapidly expanding," the 182-page report says. "Starlink alone has launched over 2,300 satellites between mid-2024 and mid-2025 and has now deployed more than 7,800 satellites—a worldwide network already with over 7 million American subscribers."

Although it's clear Starlink has been growing, the FCC figure blows past our expectations, considering SpaceX told the FCC in September 2025 that Starlink was serving "more than 2 million subscribers in the United States alone." In August 2024, the number was over 1.4 million.

"That's a surprisingly high number given what's already been reported about Brazil, Australia, and other countries," satellite industry analyst Tim Farrar said in an email. (In January, a SpaceX executive revealed that Brazil was its second-largest customer base for Starlink with over 1 million subscribers.)

Farrar added: "They may use a different definition than the paying subscriber total quoted in SpaceX's financial reports (e.g. people who bought a terminal, but are not currently signed up to a plan)."

It's also possible more users, including businesses, in the US have adopted Starlink as a backup internet option, noted Tim Belfall, a director at UK-based Starlink installer Westend WiFi. For example, some customers may have bought a Starlink dish, but placed it on the $10-per-month Standby Mode , rather than pay for a regular subscription.

However, Jianping Pan, a University of Victoria professor who studies satellite internet systems, suspects the FCC made an error with the over 7 million figure. The Commission's Section 706 report doesn't explain how it calculated the figure; it merely cites a SpaceX update from July 2025 that only says Starlink was serving "more than 6 million" active customers globally at the time, and more than 2 million active customers in the US. "7 million was roughly the worldwide user base around middle 2025, they (the FCC) just mixed up the context," Pan told PCMag.

Pan also points to this line in the FCC's statement: "... has now deployed more than 7,800 satellites—a worldwide network already with over 7 million American subscribers." It also suggests the Commission was referring to June 2025 —when Starlink specifically crossed the 7,800 satellite threshold— rather than today. The Starlink constellation currently has nearly 11,000 satellites deployed, according to astronomer Jonathan McDowell.

Furthermore, Pan questions the 7 million count when he estimates Starlink has closer to 4.7 million users in the US, based on his own tracking of public IPv6 addresses tied to Starlink Wi-Fi routers.

The FCC and SpaceX didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. But other possibilities include the commission counting enterprise users. We also wonder if the FCC is bundling together subscribers from both the dish-based Starlink and the cellular version for phones, called Starlink Mobile, which is available on T-Mobile as T-Satellite. 

On the flip side, SpaceX has been aggressively expanding the dish-based Starlink with various deals and perks, which include offering the Starlink Mini as a free rental, and the cheaper $55-per-month Residential 100Mbps plan. The promotions did pull some customers away from a traditional ISP in Virginia earlier this year.

In addition, the company has been expanding its retail presence in the US. Starlink is now being offered at 1,400 Boost Mobile stores in the US, according to Wave7 Research, which notes SpaceX has also boosted advertising for the satellite internet service using TV, radio and even with billboard ads.

On Tuesday, SpaceX revealed global user numbers for both the dish-based Starlink and Starlink Mobile in a presentation featuring CEO Elon Musk, which included a slide that said Starlink Internet has 13 million+ consumers and about 22 million monthly Starlink Mobile users.

Earlier this month, SpaceX also said in its Q2 earnings report that it had 12 million paid Starlink subscriptions globally, up from 6 million a year earlier. 

In the meantime, the FCC's new Section 706 report seems to be a win for SpaceX, as it devotes substantial sections to satellite internet services, a  request  the Elon Musk-led company previously raised. The report notes, "After factoring in satellite, rural broadband deployment is approaching universal availability." The FCC had previously excluded satellite internet services from its fixed broadband access measurements. 

However, the FCC's Democratic Commissioner, Anna Gomez, wrote that it was misleading for the commission to say satellite broadband can completely fill the digital divide. "While satellite service is widely available to most Americans, its usability is limited by physical obstructions to the line of sight, capacity constraints in areas with high demand, and network congestion that can result in slower speeds," she wrote in the report.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to add a comment from Tim Belfall, Jianping Pan and mentions the Residential 100Mbps plan. It also includes findings from Wave7 Research.

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