After Slashing Price to N300k, Elon Musk’s Starlink Set to Partner FG on Job Creation in Nigeria

• Nigeria's minister of Communication is looking to partner with Elon Musk's Starlink on job creation in Nigeria
• He said there is an ongoing discussions around connecting unserved and underserved Nigerians to deepen tech
• A representative of SpaceX disclosed that Nigeria is the company's biggest market on social media

Bosun Tijani, the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, has said that the federal government is in talks with Elon Musk's company, Starlink, for possible job creation in Nigeria.

He said the engagement was on the sidelines of the ongoing International Telecommunication Union-World Radio Communication (ITU-WRC) Conference in Dubai.

The minister on his X page disclosed that Musk's company perceive Nigeria as its biggest market in Africa. This is especially true as Nigerians have continued to demand the product.

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He wrote:

“Excellent conversation with Ryan Goodnight, Snr. Director, Global Licensing & Activation of @SpaceX on the sidelines of ITU-WRC 23, who shared that Nigeria is their biggest market in Africa. As demand for @Starlink continues to grow in Nigeria, we spoke about the issue of connecting unserved and underserved Nigerians.

“I also mentioned the possibility of creating thousands of new jobs in Nigeria through initiatives like a certified installer/maintenance programme for Starlink and working with hardware startups to produce repeater boxes locally. Our intention is to encourage every tech company to invest and deepen our tech ecosystem @elonmusk.”

This followed a recent slash in the cost of its hardware for Nigerians to N299,500, a 21% reduction compared to the previous rate of N378,000.

The new price is expected to pave the way for Starlink to access the Nigerian Internet Service Provider (ISP) market more.

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Meanwhile, Elon Musk had earlier disclosed that there are plans in place to roll out services allowing phones to connect directly to its satellites in orbit.

"Faster than 5G": NCC says FG engaging Elon Musk's Starlink to reduce service costs

According to the Executive Vice Chairman of Nigeria, the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) Umar Danbatta, the Commission is seriously engaging with Starlink to reduce its service costs in Nigeria, Legit.ng had reported.

Danbatta stated this at the ongoing Industry Consumer Advisory Forum in Lagos and said making the Starlink service affordable will help close the country's connectivity gap and make internet connections accessible to rural and underserved areas.

He said despite many internet satellite providers in Nigeria, Starlink stands out regarding speed and service operations.

Source: Legit.ng