In a recent tweet, Elon Musk announced that SpaceX's Starlink has been approved in Mozambique and Nigeria.
The launch in Africa has been around since 2021, in which the company has sent representatives to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), to discuss the possibility of acquiring a license for Starlink in Nigeria.
NCC has approved the license and the Starlink Internet Services Nigeria Ltd. is obtained under the Internet Service Provider (ISP) category and will last for ten years from May 2022.
Starlink operates in over 30 countries where it is legally approved and is licensed to provide internet services.
An Expensive Competition
The arrival of Starlink in Africa will compete against telecom operators, such as MTN and Airtel that haven't improved their internet quality. However, could Starlink be the preferred ISP in the area?
The problem is, that Starlink is expensive compared to these two telcos is priced at $110 for preorder and $599 for a full kit, which includes a terminal, mounting tripod, and Wi-Fi router.
Still, Starlink is really fast. According to a February 22 news release, "One of Starlink's big bets is to provide ultra-fast broadband to the African Continent by the end of 2022, which will allow expansion to a greater number of people and places, with emphasis on rural reas and others not serves until today."
2023 Plans Include the World's Largest Radio Telescope in Africa?
The coverage map of Starlink shows that it will expand its services through Africa by 2023. However, it was recently found that certain cities and towns, such as Upington, Ladismith, Beaufort West, and De Aar might not get the coverage.
These areas are labeled as "dead zones," which are populated areas with many small towns and rural communities.
The encircled area on the map may mean what is built near the center, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is located in the Meerkat National Park near the small town of Carnavaron. The SKA is also highly regarded in the scientific community for its potential to look into the deep reaches of space.
Once completed, the SKA will have thousands of dishes fitted with low-frequency antennas installed over huge sections of land in South Africa and Australia, along with in other areas all over the world. When all of these are combined, they will become the world's biggest radio telescope.
However, the astronomy community is concerned about the impact of Starlink on SKA's operations. According to the SKA Organisation (SKAO), it would be impossible for the telescope to remain unimpacted by Starlink, which means it could blind the SKA for periods of time.
SpaceX has not responded to queries over the rings on its map and what they could mean.
This article is owned by TechTimes
Written by April Fowell
