Niger Gives Green Light to Elon Musk’s Starlink: Revolutionizing Internet Access in West Africa

Finally, Niger said yes to Starlink, a company owned by American billionaire Elon Musk, to provide internet access via satellite. With this signature, Niger says goodbye to internet access in the nooks and crannies of its territory. A very significant increase in a country where internet coverage is not more than a third of the territory in a security context.

Elon Musk’s Starlink has received the green light from Nigerian authorities for nationwide internet with improved connectivity. Niger remains one of the countries where internet access is difficult. It should be remembered that Starlink has long been authoritative but banned. Today, it is done with the new authorities in place.

No part of Niger will have to worry about fast internet anymore with Starlink at an affordable rate with 200 Mb / s for around 25,000 FCFA per month. From now on, this story about the poor quality of the offers on the site will be a distant memory in the coming months when Starlink uses its satellite broadband.

Starlink’s new Africa strategy

For a long time, Nigerien authorities feared that terrorist groups would use this network, but it seems that the benefit-risk ratio has changed. “With a player like Starlink, the coverage problem has been solved,” assures Antony Adopo, a digital specialist in Africa.

He explains that Starlink’s strategy on the continent has also evolved. The access provider is now sending its teams to negotiate to convince the African countries one by one. “Starlink contacted a number of States in order to reassure them about the various fears they might have, such as respect for their regulatory frameworks,” explained Antony Adopo, “there were several steps. The first was when countries noticed that Starlink was operating on their territories without authorization, so there was a protest to say it was against the law. Then, negotiations between governments and the operator. And once they understand each other, third step: accepting this new actor.

What digital sovereignty?

The challenge of digital sovereignty remains. How will the data collected and communications passing through the network be managed? Many countries such as Cameroon or the Democratic Republic of Congo still refuse to authorize Starlink.

“Countries, in fact, are not banning Starlink, but they are thinking how to bring in this player while protecting the local ecosystem,” assured Antony Adopo, “there are local operators who have been investing for a long time , which needs a lot. from a budget to be able to connect everyone. This equation is considered in most African countries.

After Liberia recently, Niger will be the 15th African country to authorize Starlink on its territory. In Kenya, this Monday, November 4, 2024, the American operator suspended all new subscriptions citing overload of its network.

With RFI

Times Togo, Information in real time