Elon Musk’s Starlink For Launch In Nigeria Soon

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is in the process of getting necessary
licences to bring Starlink, its satellite-based broadband services,
to Nigeria.

The company had been in discussion with the Nigerian
Communications Commission virtually for several months.

Having made significant progress in the discussion, the NCC
granted SpaceX’s request for a face-to-face discussion to gain
better insights on the prospects of its proposal.

Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, NCC, Ubale Maska,
said, “As the regulator of a highly dynamic sector in Nigeria, the
commission is conscious of the need to ensure that our regulatory
actions are anchored on national interest.

“We have listened to your presentation and we will review it
vis-à-vis our regulatory direction of ensuring effective and a
sustainable telecoms ecosystem where a licensee’s operational model
does not dampen healthy competition among other licensees.”

The SpaceX’s team was led by SpaceX’s Starlink Market Access
Director for Africa, Ryan Goodnight.

The NCC said it was interested in making necessary regulatory
efforts to increase broadband penetration in the country as
contained in the Nigerian National Broadband Plan, 2020-2025.

The agency is empowered by Section 70 (2) of the Nigerian
Communications Act (NCA), 2003 to regulate the provision and use of
all satellite communications services and networks, in whole or in
part within Nigeria or on a ship or aircraft registered in
Nigeria.

Starlink is an Internet service launched by SpaceX to provide
high-speed, low-latency broadband connectivity especially in areas
of the globe where Internet is expensive, unreliable, or entirely
unavailable.

Starlink satellites are 60 times closer to earth than
traditional satellites, hence they are suited to areas where ground
infrastructure might be a challenge to ensure that they can deliver
high-speed broadband Internet to areas where the infrastructure is
missing.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is in the process of getting necessary
licences to bring Starlink, its satellite-based broadband services,
to Nigeria.

The company had been in discussion with the Nigerian
Communications Commission virtually for several months.

Having made significant progress in the discussion, the NCC
granted SpaceX’s request for a face-to-face discussion to gain
better insights on the prospects of its proposal.

Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, NCC, Ubale Maska,
said, “As the regulator of a highly dynamic sector in Nigeria, the
commission is conscious of the need to ensure that our regulatory
actions are anchored on national interest.

“We have listened to your presentation and we will review it
vis-à-vis our regulatory direction of ensuring effective and a
sustainable telecoms ecosystem where a licensee’s operational model
does not dampen healthy competition among other licensees.”

The SpaceX’s team was led by SpaceX’s Starlink Market Access
Director for Africa, Ryan Goodnight.

The NCC said it was interested in making necessary regulatory
efforts to increase broadband penetration in the country as
contained in the Nigerian National Broadband Plan, 2020-2025.

The agency is empowered by Section 70 (2) of the Nigerian
Communications Act (NCA), 2003 to regulate the provision and use of
all satellite communications services and networks, in whole or in
part within Nigeria or on a ship or aircraft registered in
Nigeria.

Starlink is an Internet service launched by SpaceX to provide
high-speed, low-latency broadband connectivity especially in areas
of the globe where Internet is expensive, unreliable, or entirely
unavailable.

Starlink satellites are 60 times closer to earth than
traditional satellites, hence they are suited to areas where ground
infrastructure might be a challenge to ensure that they can deliver
high-speed broadband Internet to areas where the infrastructure is
missing.