Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite Internet service, will begin operations in Nigeria and Mozambique

Billionaire Elon Musk announced on Friday that Starlink his satellite Internet service, has been given permission to begin operations in two african nations Nigeria and Mozambique. Musk, the company’s CEO, made this known on Twitter stating that Starlink had been licensed to operate in Nigeria and Mozambique.

Starlink approved by Nigeria & Mozambique https://t.co/Q1VvqVmJ2i

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 27, 2022

The Nigerian Communications Commission also confirmed this in a statement to Nairametrics that “it has licensed Starlink, a satellite internet constellation operated by SpaceX, providing satellite Internet access coverage to 32 countries. This licensing followed a visit to Nigeria by the company’s team in May last year.” 

Per Nairametrics, “The company received two licenses, which include the International Gateway license and Internet Service Provider (ISP) license, and will be trading as Starlink Internet Services Nigeria Ltd. According to NCC, the International Gateway license has a 10-year tenure while the ISP license is to last for five years. Both licenses take effect from May 2022 and may be renewed after the expiration.” 

About Starlink

Starlink is a low latency broadband internet system created to meet the needs of consumers in rural areas with low internet penetration across the globe. In simpler terms, it delivers super-fast internet via satellites to rural areas. It is theoretically capable of delivering 150Mbps internet speeds to any place on the planet. All the customer needs is a clear view of the sky. 

In 2002, Elon Musk founded SpaceX to revolutionise space technology and reduce space transportation costs. In 2020, the company expanded its efforts to provide satellite internet service: they called the product Starlink. As of March 2021, Starlink had more than 1,100 satellites in space.

With high speeds and latency as low as 20 minutes in most locations, Starlink enables video calls, online gaming, streaming, and other high data rate activities that historically have not been possible with satellite internet. Users also have the option to take Starlink with them via the Portability feature or Starlink. 

In May last year, Starlink’s Market Access Director for Africa, Ryan Goodnight along with SpaceX consultant, Levin Born had paid a visit to the NCC where they expressed interest to obtain a license to operate the satellite internet in the country. Prior to the visit, the regulator and the space company have been discussing the issue virtually before approval for a physical meeting was granted by the NCC. 

Good or Bad?

Starlink has been working to secure regulatory approval in Nigeria for at least a year. The company enters a Nigerian Internet service provider space that is dominated by telcos like MTN and Airtel, as well as individual ISPs such as Spectranet, SMILE and others. 

Mozambique’s telecoms regulator INCM said in a Feb. 22 news release that it intended to deliver a license for Starlink services on the 23rd of February.

“One of Starlink’s big bets is to provide ultra-fast broadband to the African Continent by the end of 2022, which will allow expansion to a greater number of people and places, with emphasis on rural areas and others not served until today,” INCM said in the news release.

Initial pricing information shows that it is rather expensive for the average user.

For a Nigerian user, (s)he will have to pay –

• $110 (~₦60,500) for preorder, also its monthly price
• $599 (~₦330,000) for a full kit including a terminal, mounting tripod, and Wi-Fi router

For a Mozambique user, (s)he will have to pay –

• premium service costs about $2,500 (~₦1.375 million) for the full kit and
• $500 (~₦275,000) monthly.

Starlink’s coverage map currently shows plans to start providing services to Africa — and the majority of regions where the network is currently unavailable — in 2023.