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SpaceX Announces That Starlink Now Has Over 1 Million Users
It seems that Elon Musk’s internet service is proving extremely popular.
SpaceX has just revealed via a Tweet that its satellite internet service, Starlink, now has over 1 million active users. Despite the recent controversy surrounding CEO Elon Musk’s recent Twitter antics, it seems that the public still sees enormous value in the entrepreneur’s tech offerings.
Starlink now has more than 1,000,000 active subscribers – thank you to all customers and members of the Starlink team who contributed to this milestone
https://t.co/5suNxFvtEH pic.twitter.com/E1ojYarcEA
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 19, 2022
Although the subscriber figures sound impressive for a relatively young company, Starlink still has a few teething problems. According to a September report by speed test gurus Ookla, the satellite internet company’s download speeds have continued to drop since mid-2021, with figures ranging from 9% to 54% being measured at various intervals.
Ookla believes that the dropouts and general sluggishness are probably due to Starlink’s infrastructure straining under the weight of its growing user base, which along with a fair use policy introduced in November 2022, means that the company is almost certainly throttling internet speeds. Starlink’s service went from 400,000 active users in May to the 1 million+ figure we’re hearing about today, so existing users may need to spend more to get speeds back to what they’ve been used to so far.
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Back in August, SpaceX announced that it was entering into a partnership with T-Mobile that would allow the mobile phone giant’s customers to connect directly to Starlink satellites, potentially adding even more users to the platform — though testing will continue well into 2023.
Future plans for SpaceX include the addition of their second-generation satellites, which may ease some of the strain when they launch at the end of the year. However, astronomers will no doubt be less than thrilled at this news, as Musk’s company currently has over 3,000 craft in orbit, a figure which will eventually reach 42,000 once future plans are approved.
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Influencer Growth Fuels Saudi Creator Economy Surge
The Kingdom’s creator economy grew over 32% in Q1 2025, fueled by TikTok, UGC, and cost-per-action (CPA) influencer models.
Saudi Arabia’s creator economy saw a significant 32.37% growth in the first quarter of 2025, driven by an uptick in influencer marketing, content-driven e-commerce, and the increasing influence of user-generated content (UGC). These insights come from a recent study by Admitad and the Stllr Network.
Much of this momentum is coming from video-based platforms, where brands are leaning on creators who feel more relatable than polished ad campaigns. The trend shows a clear preference for authenticity, as audiences gravitate toward content that feels real and personal.
Mohannad Alzahrani, Co-founder and VP KSA of Stllr Network, highlighted the shift: “The rise of user-generated content (UGC) is changing the way brands engage with consumers. Audiences trust real creators more than traditional advertising, making UGC a key driver of authenticity and sales”.
TikTok remains the dominant platform in this space, reportedly reaching 88% of the Saudi population. It also showed the sharpest rise in influencer-led transactions. Other platforms followed with solid, if less dramatic, growth: X was up 17%, Instagram increased by 12%, and Telegram by 10%.
In terms of content niches, beauty led the pack with a 56% growth rate, followed by lifestyle at 45.8% and fashion at 18.2%. Tech content also showed healthy traction at 10.6%, while entertainment, food, fitness, parenting, and gaming posted smaller — but still positive — gains.
Also Read: Top E-Commerce Websites In The Middle East In 2025
The report analyzed more than 300,000 influencer-driven purchases. These efforts translated into a 15% year-on-year jump in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) and a 5% increase in the number of orders in 2024. Influencers themselves are seeing the benefit, with average order values hitting $54 and creator earnings rising by 14%.
A noticeable trend is the move away from fixed-rate deals. More influencers in Saudi Arabia are embracing hybrid compensation models — especially cost-per-action (CPA) setups that tie their earnings directly to performance.
As Anna Gidirim, CEO of Admitad, explains, “The CPA model brings much-needed transparency to influencer marketing. Brands only pay for actual results, and influencers benefit by securing long-term partnerships while offering their audiences exclusive promo codes and special discounts”.
However, the ecosystem still shows a gender imbalance. The data indicates that 63% of creators in Saudi Arabia are men, while women account for just 37%.
Influencer Growth Fuels Saudi Creator Economy Surge
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