Elon Musk’s Starlink has announced a suspension on orders for its residential kits in Nigeria until it obtains approval from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for its recently announced price increase.
The company, however, allows orders for its high-end Business Plan, which allows it to charge N159,000 for a monthly subscription, compared with the Residential Plan which costs N38,000 per month.
“We’re committed to providing high-speed internet in Nigeria and are working closely with regulators to make adjustments that will improve the customer experience.
“Until these changes are approved, we are placing new Residential orders on hold,” the company stated in response to an attempt to order its kits.
Starlink announced a 97% price increase for its monthly subscription from N38,000 to N75,000 in September.
For new users, the company also increased the Starlink kits (hardware) by 34% from N440,000 to N590,000.
The company in a message to its customers in Nigeria cited “excessive inflation” as the reason for the increment.
Local operators accused the NCC of double standard for allowing Starlink to increase price which was denied by the regulatory agency.
Starlink had earlier stopped new orders in five major cities including Lagos, Abuja, Port-Harcourt, Benin City, and Warri.
Demand for Starlink services in Nigeria has soared since the Space X-linked company was officially launched in the country in January last year.
But the rush for Starlink is not only in Nigeria as the company’s terminals are currently sold out in Zimbabwe’s capital of Harare, less than two months after receiving permission from authorities to operate in the southern African nation.