Fakoyejo Olalekan
The network hardware of Starlink, an internet provider firm owned by billionaire, Elon Musk, will cost Nigerians $600 to own, the company revealed in a statement.
To acquire the network hardware, Starlink is only accepting dollar payments, making it impossible for many Nigerians to access the internet service.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelInternational transactions on naira cards have been limited to $20 by some commercial banks, while other financial institutions are not accepting dollar payments on the naira card.
As a result, Nigerians interested in Starlink service will have to use their dollar card or approach the black market, where $1 is equivalent to N745, putting the total sum to buy the Starlink hardware at N447,000.
Also, on the dollar card, the transactions have also been limited to $1000 for one month, which means holders of the USD card will be left with $400 for the rest of the month if they go ahead to purchase the Starlink product.
In the statement, Starlink said it will commence operation in Nigeria in 2023, after failing to kick off last year as expected. The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, stated that administrative issues had led to the delay of operation.
“Order now to reserve your Starlink. Starlink expects to expand service in your area in 2023. You will receive a notification once your Starlink is ready to ship.
“US$43/mo (month) for service and US$600 for hardware,” the statement by Starlink reads. The company currently has over one million active subscribers.
Meanwhile, recall that Pantami had stated last year that Starlink has “commenced the deployment of their facilities in Nigeria,” adding that, “Nigeria is the first African country to reach that partnership & also approval for the deployment.”
“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,” Pantami said.
