The federal government has announced that the Elon Musk-owned Internet service provider, Starlink it will be available for use in Nigeria before the end of the year.

According to the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, the nationwide launch that was initially expected to take place in the third quarter of 2022 will take place before the end of 2022, “after the conclusion of some administrative processes.” .

king of investors He recalled that in May 2022, Musk confirmed that high-speed internet, Starlink, had received approval to start operating in Nigeria, tweeting “Starlink approved by Nigeria and Mozambique.”

Since the beginning of this year, Starlink has launched more than 2,000 satellites, while 1,500 are in operational orbit. These satellites make it easy for rural areas and places that cannot be served by regular service providers to have access to the Internet.

The company is renowned for its impressive internet speed of 104 Mbps, a stark contrast to the average cellular internet speed of 17.38 Mbps.

While a Starlink internet service can be used anywhere, the setup price and monthly subscription fee could put it out of reach for the average Nigerian. However, it is ideal for large businesses, corporations, and government agencies.

tech cabal had reported that the cost of using Starlink included a one-time equipment fee of about $599 (~₦330,000), $60 (N25,000) for shipping, and a monthly subscription of $99 (N41,000). The premium service costs almost $2,500 (~₦1,375 million) for the complete kit and $500 (~₦275,000) monthly.

Speaking on the sidelines of the recently concluded US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington,

Furthermore, Pantami said, “As part of the association, space x (Starlink’s parent company) will provide broadband access throughout Nigeria, enabling nationwide access to broadband connectivity well in advance of the December 2025 schedule, as outlined in our National Broadband Plan.

With this collaboration with SpaceX’s Starlink, Nigeria will become the first African country to introduce the service.”