Starlink has launched its premium Business Priority service in Nigeria’s most congested urban centres, offering high-paying customers a way around months of “Sold Out” notices — at a steep monthly cost of N159,000 ($99.38).
The service, which became available on February 14, targets businesses and high-end users in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. However, residential customers in high-demand areas remain locked out.
Website checks in prime Lagos neighbourhoods such as Victoria Island, Ikoyi, Lekki and Surulere continue to display a blunt notice: residential plans are unavailable due to high demand. Prospective home users are instead directed to join waitlists, often requiring upfront deposits without a firm activation date.
The Business Priority tier includes either 1TB or 2TB of high-priority data monthly before potential slowdowns during peak congestion. While total data usage remains uncapped, speeds may be deprioritised once the priority threshold is exceeded.
Subscribers also receive enhanced customer support and a public IPv4 address — features particularly useful for companies operating servers, VPNs or remote surveillance systems.
Standard hardware kits cost about N590,000 ($369). However, business users are encouraged to purchase the more durable Flat High Performance dish, priced between N3.15 million and N4.1 million ($1,969–$2,563), designed to maintain performance during heavy rainfall and dense network traffic.
The move comes as competition intensifies in Nigeria’s satellite broadband market. Amazon’s Project Kuiper secured Nigerian landing rights in January 2026, positioning it to challenge Starlink’s dominance in Africa’s largest economy.
Maintaining premium revenue streams from businesses and affluent users allows Starlink to preserve market share in key commercial hubs while addressing infrastructure and capacity constraints.
Across Africa, Starlink adjusts pricing country by country. Residential monthly rates typically range between $10 and $50.
In Kenya, a Residential Lite plan starts at around $10 for 50GB capped, while unlimited options range between $28 and $38. In Mozambique, Ghana, Rwanda and Zimbabwe, standard unlimited plans generally fall within the $28–$34 range.
In Nigeria, when available outside saturated zones, residential plans cost approximately $35–$40 (about N57,000) following previous pricing adjustments. This makes the N159,000 Priority tier a significant jump.
The service is now active in roughly 26 African countries. Early markets included Nigeria (from 2023), Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Malawi, Zambia, Benin and Eswatini. Later expansions added Ghana, Zimbabwe, Senegal and Liberia in early 2026, alongside Madagascar, Botswana, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone and Burundi. South Africa remains pending due to regulatory and ownership rules.
Nigeria’s current capacity crunch dates back to late 2024, when sign-ups surged beyond what ground infrastructure and spectrum allocations could support.
A pricing dispute with the Nigerian Communications Commission froze new residential orders nationwide from November 2024 through June 2025. Even after sales resumed at the revised N57,000 rate, demand in Lagos and Abuja continued to exceed supply.
By September 2025, residential orders in dense urban areas were once again restricted.
Meanwhile, Starlink’s parent company, SpaceX, has accelerated satellite launches. Its global satellite fleet surpassed 9,700 units by late February 2026, supported by 18 launches this year alone.
Despite orbital expansion, ground infrastructure limitations — including gateway capacity, local spectrum approvals and regulatory processes — continue to constrain bandwidth delivery in Nigeria’s busiest cities.
For many urban households shut out of the Priority option, reliable high-speed internet remains elusive.
While the premium strategy secures revenue and strengthens Starlink’s competitive stance, widespread relief for residential users will depend on how quickly increased satellite capacity translates into improved on-the-ground connectivity.
