Starlink, the satellite internet service owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has temporarily suspended its recent price hike for Nigerian subscribers.
This comes nearly a month after the company raised its standard monthly subscription fee from N38,000 to N75,000, a 97.37% increase, and hiked the cost of its hardware from N440,000 to N590,000.
In a notice sent to customers on Thursday, Starlink cited “regulatory challenges” as the reason for suspending the price increase.
The company acknowledged the price hike last month, attributing it to inflation and the need to maintain reliable operations. However, it has decided to reverse the subscription fee due to regulatory concerns.
“Today, we are temporarily suspending this price increase as we navigate regulatory challenges,” Starlink said.
“If you’ve already been charged at the higher rate, a one-time credit will be applied to your account to cover the difference.
“You also have the flexibility to cancel your service at any time.
“We remain committed to providing high-speed Internet in Nigeria, but we need regulatory support to make the improvements necessary for a better customer experience.
“Without these approvals, our ability to continue delivering service is at risk.
The NCC also announced that it had initiated a pre-enforcement action on the company for the unauthorized price hike.
As of now, Starlink has reversed the price of its standard residential plan to N38,000 and its mobile regional plan to N50,000. However, the cost of the Starlink hardware remains at N590,000.
