Starlink, the high-speed internet service, which is owned by Tesla and Twitter CEO Elon Musk, is expected to launch before the end of this month; to engage in a heated competition for a portion of the market in Nigeria’s internet and telecommunications services.
The launch will take place several months after the Internet Service system was granted permission by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to commence operations in Nigeria on May 20, 2022.
The Nigerian minister of communications and digital economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, said, “As part of the partnership, Space X is to provide broadband access across the whole of Nigeria, enabling nationwide access to broadband connectivity way ahead of the December 2025 schedule, as outlined in our National Broadband Plan. With this collaboration with SpaceX’s Starlink, Nigeria is set to be the 1st African country to introduce the service.”
Read also: SpaceX Announces Lower Priced Starlink service
Earlier Development With Starlink
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had previously disclosed that Starlink had received two licences to commence operations in Nigeria. These licences were the International Gateway licence and the Internet Service Provider licence. Starlink will be operating under the name Starlink Internet Services Nigeria Ltd. in the future.
Starlink is active in more than 30 countries where it is legally permitted to do business, which means that it possesses the necessary licences to do business there and offer internet services.
Since 2021, preparations have been made for the launch of the product across Africa, with a special focus on Nigeria. In May of this year, SpaceX sent some representatives to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the country’s telecommunications regulator, to discuss the possibility of obtaining a licence to operate Starlink in Nigeria. The NCC is the country’s governing body for the telecommunications industry.
The news that the NCC has granted approval for this licence, as reported by the local press and Nairametrics, lends credence to Musk’s tweet earlier this year. According to the publication, the licence that Starlink Internet Services Nigeria Ltd. (its trading name) has obtained is in the category of Internet Service Provider (ISP) — other service providers such as telcos and private operators also fall within this category.
Despite this, Starlink was not able to launch its services in Nigeria on the date that had been initially planned. You may recall that Elon Musk posted on his Twitter handle in July 2022 to announce that Starlink would become operational in Nigeria in August 2022. He asked anyone who was interested in using the service to start placing orders for the $99 starter kits.
The Nigerian telecom carriers MTN and Airtel, among others, have been forced to compete against each other without enhancing the quality of their internet service; Starlink adds this much-needed competition to the industry.
About Starlink
Starlink is a low-latency broadband internet system that was developed in order to fulfil the requirements of customers located in areas of the world that have a low internet penetration rate.
It is potentially able to transmit internet rates of up to 150 megabits per second (Mbps) to any location on the earth, even rural places, where it provides lightning-fast internet access via satellite.
Its ability to provide high-speed and low-latency service is made possible by the world’s biggest constellation of technologically advanced satellites, which circle the Earth in a low-altitude position.
The astounding internet speed of 104 Mbps offered by Starlink stands in stark contrast to the average cellular internet speed of 17.38 Mbps, which can be found across the industry. Additionally, it is anticipated that the utilisation of LEO satellites will drastically cut down on internet downtimes.
The Starlink, a WiFi router, cables, and a base are all included in the Starlink Kit, which the user receives once the kit is purchased. This allows the user to get online in a matter of minutes.
The emergence of Starlink in Nigeria will no doubt change the dynamics of internet service in the country, and Nigerians anticipate this.