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| Elon Musk |
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced plans to take action against Starlink, a satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk, for increasing its subscription prices in Nigeria without regulatory approval.
This was revealed in a statement by the NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka, on Tuesday.
Last week, Starlink notified its customers about the price hike, stating that it would affect both current and new users. The monthly subscription fee went up by 97%, jumping from N38,000 to N75,000. Additionally, new customers will now pay N590,000 for the Starlink kit, up 34% from its previous cost of N440,000.
However, the NCC clarified that it did not approve this price increase.
“The decision by Starlink to increase its subscription rates was not authorized by the Nigerian Communications Commission,” Muoka said. He further explained that the commission was taken aback by Starlink’s announcement, considering that the company had already submitted a request for a price adjustment, which the NCC had not yet approved.
The NCC noted that Starlink’s actions violate Sections 108 and 111 of the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003, as well as the terms of its license related to pricing and tariffs.
Section 108 of the NCA 2003 grants the NCC authority to regulate telecom service charges. It specifies that no licensee can set prices for its services without prior approval from the commission. Meanwhile, Section 111 empowers the NCC to impose financial penalties on any company that exceeds approved tariffs.
The commission stressed that it would take appropriate enforcement measures to ensure compliance and maintain stability in the telecommunications industry.
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