The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has intervened to prevent Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, from implementing substantial price hikes in Nigeria.
The company had announced an increase in its standard residential plan with a 1 TB fair usage policy from ₦38,000 ($24) to ₦75,000 ($48).
Roaming customers faced even sharper increases, with local roaming fees rising to ₦167,000 per month from ₦49,000, and international roaming jumping to ₦717,000 per month. The new rates were intended to take effect on October 31.
In response, the NCC blocked Starlink’s price adjustments, highlighting that Starlink failed to secure regulatory approval. The NCC cited Sections 108 and 111 of the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) of 2003 and Starlink’s license conditions on tariffs, which require regulatory authorization for any rate changes.
The NCC’s move aligns with its broader stance on protecting consumers from sudden, steep cost increases in internet services. Recently, the commission rejected similar price hike requests from other internet service providers, enforcing Nigeria’s pricing guidelines for ISPs.
Despite Elon Musk’s explanation on social media that Starlink’s price adjustments were inflation-driven, the NCC maintains a rigorous review process to ensure affordability and compliance with regulatory standards across the telecom sector.