Subscribers groan as Starlink doubles subscription fees in Nigeria

Starlink has doubled its subscription fees in Nigeria. An email notice sent to subscribers states as follows:

Due to excessive levels of inflation, the Starlink monthly service price will increase from current rates to the respective rates below:

• Standard (Residential): ₦75,000
• Mobile – Regional (Roam Unlimited): ₦167,000
• Mobile – Global (Global Roam): ₦717,000

As a current customer, your monthly service price will increase in 1 month, beginning 31 October 2024. For new customers, the price increase is effective immediately.

If you do not wish to continue your service, you can cancel at any time.

Thank you for being a Starlink customer and your continued support!

The Starlink Team

This is not the first time that the fees have been increased. For example, the Standard (Residential) originally cost ₦18,000 monthly but was increased to ₦38,000, and now it is at ₦75,000.

The Mobile – Regional plan used to cost ₦49,000 and now is ₦167,000, almost a 4x increase.

This new round of subscription price increases hit hard and it appears that some subscribers will cancel the service as a result.

Some are complaining that the increase does not makes sense because they have experienced a drop in performance. One subscriber had this to say: “The speed is so slow. It’s becoming more of a disadvantage to companies that switched to it.I can’t even have a stable meeting with it anymore.”

The best Starlink alternative services in Nigeria

A Starlink subscription provides users with unlimited data each month for the respective fees. So, in looking for the best alternative service to Starlink, we are looking for an unlimited service that provides the highest possible speeds.

Fibre optic home Internet service providers offer unlimited data, but you won’t obtain speeds anywhere close to what Starlink offers. Airtel also has an unlimited data plan capped at 20Mbps speed. Again, it is nowhere near as fast as what Starlink offers (on paper). But if Starlink’s connection speeds have dropped, as some users claim, perhaps the speed advantage is no longer a big deal.

If so, you should consider Airtel Unlimited 20, as well as fibre optic home Internet service providers (we have the lists for Lagos and Abuja).

What of the cost Starlink Starter Kit for new users?

It isn’t only the monthly subscription fees that have been increased. For new users, the company also increased the Starlink kits (hardware) by 34% from ₦440,000 to ₦590 000.

In other words, if you want to sign up for Starlink Internet in Nigeria now, your initial fee is ₦590,000.

Note also that the cost of acquisition of routers from these alternatives keep rising as well. For example, Airtel’s 5G router went from ₦50,000 to ₦60,000 to ₦80,000. Some say that it is already being sold for ₦100,000 in some places. Increases across the industry is understandable, as the effects of inflation and exchange rate hikes affect all service providers.

Being able to find an unlimited internet provider whose fees match your budget is what is important. These are hard times and adapting is essential. May the force be with you.

Author: Mister Mobility

Master storyteller and founder of Mobility Nigeria, Mister Mobility, has used and reviewed hundreds of mobile phones since 2001.