Starlink has announced that its Nigerian customers will pay only $99 for their starter kit. This is only a sixth of the $599 that Starlink customers in the US have to pay. SpaceX’s Starlink, which is a satellite internet service, is set to launch into the Nigerian telecommunications market in August 2022.
Following the announcement of Starlink’s proposed launch by Elon Musk in May 2022, Nigerians expressed concerns about the affordability of Starlink and hopes were raised that Starlink services would be priced according to the Nigerian GDP. These concerns have now been allayed as the company announced the price difference.
Read: NCC Approves Elon Musk’s Starlink Operation in Nigeria
A subscription to Starlink satellite internet services requires the acquisition of a starter kit and a monthly subscription. The cost of the monthly subscription in Nigeria is, as yet, undisclosed.
Although Starlink customers in the United States of America pay $110 a month for Starlink, which is delivered by the company’s low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites, Nigerians are anticipating lower subscription rates.
Starlink Nigeria Licence
Starlink was awarded two licences by the Nigeria Communication Commission(NCC). The licences awarded to Starlink include the international gateway licence and Internet Service Provider (ISP) licence, and will be traded as Starlink Internet Services Nigeria Ltd. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) issued the license to Starlink, whose satellite internet constellation is operated by SpaceX and provides satellite internet coverage across 32 countries.
Its launch in Africa, particularly in Nigeria, has been in the works since 2021. However, the deal was sealed at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, earlier in the year 2022, and the company announced that all the paperwork had been completed.
According to NCC, the international gateway licence has a 10-year tenure, while the ISP licence is to last for five years. Both licences take effect from May 2022 and may be renewed after their expiration.
Nigeria’s communication authority (the Nigerian Communications Commission), expressed its desire that 90 per cent of the nation’s population will be connected with digital broadband by 2025, and Starlink has assured the commission that it would contribute its quota to make this a reality.
Starlink has listed other target African markets that will probably open up in 2023. They include South Africa, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. The early start in Nigeria follows the agreement between NCC and Starlink in May 2022.
Starlink Service Map Across Africa
Going by the data on Starlink’s service map, the third quarter (Q3) of 2022 marks the beginning of the company’s satellite internet service in Nigeria. This is well ahead of other countries in Africa, including neighbouring Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Mali, and Niger, all of which indicate 2023 as the start year but don’t state a quarter as the start date.
Starlink Latency Level
Starlink’s satellite fleet passed 2,500 in May this year. The company aims to launch 4,400 in its current generation, orbiting at heights from 335km to 550km, but eventually plans as many as 42,000.
According to Speedtest.net, the median upload speed for Starlink is 9.33 mbps. The median latency for Starlink in Q1 2022 was 43 ms. Unlike speed, lower is better with latency. For reference, fixed broadband comes in at 14 ms.
Speedtest.net’s latest intelligence survey shows that Starlink, with low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites that are 500-1200km high, is beating geosynchronous (GEO) providers such as HughesNet and Viasat.
Speedtest.net reports: “Starlink was the only satellite internet provider in the United States with fixed-broadband-like latency figures and median download speeds fast enough to handle most of the needs of modern online life.”
In the US, customers are getting a median download speed of 97.23Mbps, which compares with the 115.22Mbps median for all fixed broadband providers in the US. But that’s not available everywhere. Starlink beats digging 20 miles (or more) of trenches to hook up to local infrastructure.
According to the survey, Starlink’s median upload speed was 13.89Mbps, close to fixed broadband’s 17.18Mbps.
European figures in the survey show Starlink is far ahead of the fixed broadband competition.
In France, Starlink customers are getting a 139.39 Mbps download speed, which “easily beats the country-wide average for fixed broadband of 70.81Mbps,” says Speedtest.net.
“Starlink’s upload speed was slower than the fixed broadband average, but still respectable, at 29.35Mbps compared with 52.56Mbps.’’
“In Germany, Starlink far surpasses local fixed broadband,” says the survey, which reports for the second quarter of 2021. Starlink’s median download and upload speeds were much faster than the country’s averages for fixed broadband.’’
Starlink showed a much faster median download speed in the UK, achieving a median of 108.30Mbps, double the country’s average for fixed broadband, which was 50.14Mbps. The upload was also faster, at 15.64 Mbps compared with 14.76 Mbps.
Speedtest.net points out that latency from Starlink is “pretty good,” at 37ms. “This brings Starlink closer to contender status for consumers across the UK, not just those stranded in internet-free zones in northern Scotland, once the service interruptions are under control.”
Speedtest.net concludes the report by stating that “interruptions appear to be a factor of the number of satellites Starlink has yet to launch.” Speedtest.net says, “Since a country’s infrastructure does not limit satellite internet, it has the potential to perform much better than fixed broadband.”
Facts About Starlink
Starlink operates in more than 30 countries where it has acquired licenses to provide internet services.
Its hardware includes a satellite dish and a router, which you’ll set up at home to receive the signal from space. The newest version of the dish, seen here, is less expensive for SpaceX to produce, and further improvements to the design could be on the way in 2022.
“Starlink is ideally suited for areas of the globe where connectivity has typically been a challenge,” the Starlink website reads. “Because Starlink isn’t limited by traditional ground infrastructure, it can bring high-speed broadband internet to places where access has been spotty or nonexistent.”
All you need to do to make the connection is set up a small satellite dish at your home to receive the signal and pass the bandwidth on to your router. The company offers a number of mounting options for rooftops, yards, and the exterior of your home. There’s even a Starlink app for Android and iOS that uses augmented reality to help customers pick the best location and position for their receivers.
The Starlink Starter Kit
A full kit includes a terminal, mounting tripod, and wifi router.
Reports from Nigeria say Starlink services will be used to fill 114 gaps in coverage from the country’s mobile operators, leaving 25 million people—about 12% of the population—without service.
