Elon Musk’s Starlink Misses December Launch, Costs and Plans Emerge as Telcos, ISPs ready For Competition
- Nigerians are waiting for the launch of Starlink Internet service in Nigeria
- The Nigerian government has said Starlink will commence operation in the country in December 2022
- However, Nigerians have begun pre-ordering the hardware tokens of the service as monthly subscription costs and plans emerge
Nigerians are waiting with bated breath for the launch of Elon Musk’s much-hyped Starlink Internet service.
The Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami said early in December that the Elon Musk-owned, satellite-powered Starlink will commence operations in Nigeria in December.
Source: Getty Images
Nigerians begin pre-ordering of hardware
Starlink announced in May 2022 that it has been granted a license by the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) to operate in the ISP category in the country.
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However, after the announcement by Pantami, Nigerians began to pre-order the company’s hardware and other accessories in readiness for the launch which has now been missed.
Reports had put the cost of price of the hardware including the antenna at $600, which is about N438,000 in Nigeria.
The company has also stated that its subscribers would pay $43 about N31,390 monthly as the cost of subscription for the service.
The company said:
“Order now to reserve your Starlink. Starlink expects to expand service in your area (Nigeria) in 2023. You will receive a notification once your Starlink is ready to ship. $43/month for service and $600 for hardware.”
Different plans and packages
It has emerged that Starlink’s new tier 1 internet service with higher performance of between 150 and 500Mbps with about 20 to 40 millisecond of latency is quite pricy.
Also known as Starline Premium, the tier 1 subscription has upload speeds of between 10 to 20Mpbs. The standard plan has 20 to 40Mbps on Premium, according to a TechCrunch report.
Customers may pay higher for a performance boost as the Premium may cost about $500 monthly compared to the $99 monthly subscription plan for the standard plan.
For customers who want the antenna, the cost is put at an eyewatering sum of $2,500 and other hardware compared to $499 for the base plan deposit of about $500 to reserve the Premium dish.
The company said the service works better in extreme weather conditions and customers will get 24/7 priority support and the service is likely to be on the high-speed internet option. It will also be available in remote areas.
Starlink launched over 2,00o satellites as of mid-January 2022, with 1,500 operating in low orbit.
Elon Musk’s Starlink Internet service set to launch, rivals panic as Nigerians pre-order routers
Legit.ng reported that Nigerians have started the use of Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service which is set to launch this month in Nigeria.
The announcement of the proposed launch by the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy has left many competitors panicking as it is set to disrupt the industry.
Local operators said part of their end-of-year plan is to study how the billionaire’s internet service plans to disrupt the industry in Nigeria since satellite internet can be accessed in the rural areas where the presence of the competition is not felt.
Source: Legit.ng
