Starlink Nigeria has reduced its hardware expenses by 21% in order to capture a larger portion of the Nigerian Internet Service Provider market.
The Times reported that the gear from Starlink now costs N299,500 instead of the N378,000 it did before the price cut. The required monthly subscription, however, remained the same at N38,000.
The internet business run by Elon Musk announced that it will also partially compensate Nigerian customers who purchased the gear “within the last 30” days. The sale, according to Starlink, will finish on November 15.
Starlink, which announced its debut in Nigeria in January of this year, had aroused a significant level of interest among Nigerians who were keen to switch their service providers despite having higher charges than local ISPs.
People in places with subpar internet networks are encouraged to use Starlink due to the satellite service’s ubiquity.
Starlink is now among the top ISPs in Nigeria in terms of user numbers, according to ISP data given by the Nigerian Communications Commission.
The number of customers for Starlink Nigeria was 6,756 as of the end of June. There are currently less clients than that number for many local ISPs in Nigeria that have been operating for a while.
Nigerians have been pre-ordering Starlink’s hardware since last year, despite the company only officially announcing its presence there in January. The business converted to naira after making its official announcement, having previously stated its prices in dollars as $600 for the hardware and $43 for the membership.
Starlink’s hardware and monthly subscription fees were then N268,584 and N19,260, respectively; however, those prices reflected the official dollar exchange rate of the time, which was roughly N450 to $1. As the value of the Naira continued to decline, prices for hardware and subscriptions also skyrocketed to N378,000 and N38,000.
In the meantime, Starlink recently disclosed that it is partnering with online retailer Jumia Technologies AG to boost service sales and broaden broadband across Africa.
Jumia will provide Starlink satellite terminals and kits in a few African countries thanks to investors including Pernod Ricard SA and Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
According to Hisham El Gabry, Jumia’s Chief Commercial Officer, the maiden launch would happen in Nigeria in the coming weeks.
Jumia is positioned as a major player in this industry thanks to its exclusivity in sales and distribution. This gives them a distinct competitive advantage and may increase their market share and influence in the area.
