More Competition for MTN, Glo, Others as Elon Musk Introduces Low-Cost Mini Starlink Dish in Nigeria

More Competition for MTN, Glo, Others as Elon Musk Introduces Low-Cost Mini Starlink Dish in Nigeria

  • The anticipated Starlink Mini dish, an inventive device, is scheduled to be introduced by SpaceX
  • The new product is designed to give individuals in rural areas access to satellite-based internet service
  • Users are expected to gain from the device's ease and flexibility as it is designed to fit easily in a backpack

Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has over 3-year-experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.

SpaceX is set to launch the much-awaited Starlink mini dish, an innovative gadget that promises to revolutionise internet accessibility, especially in underprivileged areas.

Elon Musk moves to introduce low-cost mini Starlink dish in Nigeria
Starlink Mini is lightweight and simple to assemble. Photo Credit: Elon Musk
Source: UGC

The new product aims to give people in isolated areas—where physical connections are unfeasible and mobile connections only offer restricted bandwidth—access to satellite-based internet service.

Features of Starlink mini

The Starlink mini is regarded as a game-changer. It is substantially smaller and more portable than the existing 23.4-inch by 15.07-inch Starlink dish, which measures only 11.4 inches by 9.8 inches.

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It is lightweight and simple to assemble, weighing only 2.4 pounds (or 3.4 pounds when the kickstand and DC cord are included).

It is expected that users will benefit from the device's unparalleled flexibility and convenience since it is made to fit comfortably in a backpack.

Due to its portability, it is considered the perfect travel companion for people who live in distant places or work remotely.

How Starlink has fared in Nigeria

With the introduction of Starlink into the Nigerian market by TD Africa, the continent's largest distributor of tech items and the main distributor of Starlink products, the company has garnered public attention with its widely available satellite service.

According to the most recent Internet service provider (ISP) data made public by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Elon Musk's Starlink internet business ranked third among all ISPs in Nigeria in terms of total subscribers during the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2023.

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Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, posted a speed test screenshot showing that the Starlink mini has a reasonable 11.5 Mbps upload speed and a strong 100 Mbps download speed with a 23 ms latency.

These features are more than sufficient to support numerous 4K video streams, smooth audio chats, video calls, and quick file downloads.

Prices and location to get products

The Punch reported that the mini dish will be available across e-commerce group in Nigeria and Starlink's exclusive shop-in-shop merchant as soon as it is released.

The Starlink mini dish's cost is one of its best features. It is expected that the gadget will probably be offered for half as much as a typical dish, which will enable more people to use it.

This pricing method will greatly increase adoption rates, especially in Nigeria, where high-speed internet access has historically been hampered by costs.

Legit.ng earlier reported that Starlink slashed the price of its hardware by 45% to N440,000 as the naira strengthened against the US dollar. This means that the new gadget could sell for N220,000 in Nigeria.

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Nigerians abandon other networks

Legit.ng also previously reported that Nigerians are now opting for Starlink satellite internet kits as a solution to persistent fibre optic cable outages that impair internet connectivity.

This uses cutting-edge low-latency satellite technology to deliver high-speed internet services to consumers worldwide.

The demand for the Starlink satellite internet kits has been tremendous, according to e-commerce portal Konga, which has included the kits in its offerings.

Proofreading by James Ojo Adakole, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Zainab Iwayemi avatar

Zainab Iwayemi (Business Editor) Zainab Iwayemi is a business journalist with over 5 years experience reporting activities in the stock market, tech, insurance, banking, and oil and gas sectors. She holds a Bachelor of Science (B.sc) degree in Sociology from the University of Ilorin, Kwara State. Before Legit.ng, she worked as a financial analyst at Nairametrics where she was rewarded for outstanding performance. She can be reached via zainab.iwayemi@corp.legit.ng