Starlink suspends new subscriptions as Internet demand soars

Internet company, Starlink, has temporarily halted new sign-ups in several African cities due to overwhelming demand.

The billionaire businessman Elon Musk confirmed in a tweet on X (formerly Twitter) sighted on Monday.

Musk’s comments came in response to a user who pointed out that Starlink had paused new registrations in several urban centres across Africa, where the network had reached full capacity.

In response to the situation, Musk stated, “Starlink is working to increase Internet capacity in dense urban areas in Africa as fast as possible. Please note that there is still significant capacity outside of city centres.”

The surge in demand for Starlink’s service highlights the growing need for reliable internet in Africa’s cities, where infrastructure challenges have hindered access to fast, stable connectivity.

Elon Musk’s Starlink launched its satellite internet service in Nigeria in January 2023, making it the first African country to receive this service.

This launch followed the approval from the Nigerian Communications Commission in May 2022, and preorders began shortly thereafter.

Starlink has since rapidly grown, becoming Nigeria’s third-largest internet service provider by the end of 2023, with over 23,000 subscribers.

In June, Kenya’s telecoms regulator ranked Starlink as the 10th largest internet service provider in the country, with a 0.5 per cent market share, or around 8,000 subscribers.

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