SpaceX’s satellite-based internet service, Starlink, has made its mark in Africa with the announcement of its availability in Nigeria; the company revealed this news via a tweet on Monday.
We have made it again. [SpaceX] thank you for hosting me in your Headquarters USA in December 2022 to complete the logistics for the deployment.
Isa Ali Pantami – Nigerian minister of communications and digital economy
Other African countries, such as Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, and Morocco, are expected to receive satellite-based internet service services by the end of 2023, while Ghana and Namibia will have to wait until 2024.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, announced the expansion of satellite-based internet service into Africa last year in May, stating that Starlink had been approved to offer broadband internet in Nigeria and Mozambique.
With over a million users across multiple countries, satellite-based internet service is operating at a loss, as acknowledged by Elon Musk.
Despite providing thousands of Starlink dishes in Ukraine following the Russian invasion, only a small portion of the 25,300 terminals are paying for the service, leading to a shortage of funds.
In October, Musk mentioned that the company had withdrawn its request for funding from the Pentagon for Starlink in Ukraine.
However, SpaceX did not provide further comment on the matter.
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