In Lagos and Abuja, Starlink resumes entry at a premium

Starlink has restored entry to its Enterprise (Precedence) plan in Nigeria’s most congested cities, providing a partial reprieve to clients in Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt who’ve confronted months of “Bought Out” notices. 

However the reduction comes at a steep worth: ₦159,000 ($99.38) month-to-month, plus {hardware} prices that may exceed ₦4 million ($2,500).

The reopening, which started on February 14, 2026, doesn’t introduce a brand new product. Fairly, it restores entry to a beforehand suspended tier that was paused alongside residential subscriptions as congestion intensified in high-demand city centres. 

For residents in Victoria Island, Ikoyi, Lekki, Surulere, and elements of Abuja, the place new residential orders stay blocked, the choices are restricted: improve to the Precedence plan or be part of the waitlist.

A examine of a number of areas throughout Lagos State on the Starlink web site returns a constant discover: “Attributable to excessive demand in your space, solely Precedence Plans can be found in your space.”

In an more and more aggressive satellite tv for pc broadband market, extended “Bought Out” notices threat costing Starlink income and visibility in Africa’s largest economic system. By reopening its higher-priced Precedence tier in Lagos and different congested hubs, the corporate retains a presence in its Most worthy city markets and converts pent-up demand into quick revenue. 

The transfer is timed as rivals corresponding to Amazon, by means of Mission Kuiper, put together to increase into rising markets. Amazon secured a touchdown allow to function in Nigeria in January 2026. Preserving high-value clients related helps Starlink defend market share and reinforce its dominance, even whereas residential customers stay on the waitlist.

Starlink’s congestion challenges have been constructing in Nigeria and Kenya since late 2024. After hitting capability in main cities, the corporate grew to become embroiled in a pricing dispute with the Nigerian Communications Fee (NCC) when it tried to boost month-to-month charges with out last regulatory approval. 

The standoff led to an eight-month nationwide freeze on new residential orders between November 2024 and June 2025. Though gross sales resumed final yr at a moderated ₦57,000 ($36) residential worth level, city demand has continued to outstrip accessible capability.

Since September 2025, a number of dense neighborhoods in Lagos and Abuja have remained successfully closed to new house customers, who are actually directed to pay a deposit to affix a waitlist with no clear timeline for activation.

The Marketing strategy provides a quicker path, at a price. At ₦159,000 ($99.38) month-to-month, subscribers obtain 1TB or 2TB of “Precedence Knowledge,” after which speeds could also be deprioritised however utilization stays limitless. {Hardware} presents an even bigger hurdle. 

Whereas a normal equipment prices round ₦590,000 ($369), Starlink recommends its Flat Excessive Efficiency dish for enterprise customers. That gear ranges from roughly ₦3.15 million ($1,969) to ₦4.1 million ($2,563), designed to deal with harsh climate and ship extra steady throughput in high-demand environments.

Enterprise clients additionally obtain precedence technical help and entry to a publicly routable IPv4 tackle, important for firms operating servers, VPNs, and distant monitoring techniques.

The reopening comes as SpaceX, Starlink’s mother or father firm, accelerates its world satellite tv for pc deployment. As of February 24, 2026, SpaceX has accomplished 18 Starlink missions this yr, launching roughly 428 satellites into orbit. 

In February alone, 11 Starlink-specific launches have been performed, together with a record-setting “doubleheader” on February 21 by which two Falcon 9 rockets launched inside hours of one another from reverse US coasts. One booster, B1067, flew its thirty third mission, setting a brand new reusability benchmark.

The lively Starlink constellation now exceeds 9,700 satellites, edging towards the ten,000 mark. A number of current launches have included Direct-to-Cell satellites aimed toward delivering connectivity on to smartphones.

But even with fast orbital enlargement, native bottlenecks persist. Satellite tv for pc web capability will depend on floor infrastructure, spectrum allocations, and regulatory frameworks that form deployment pace. In Nigeria’s industrial hubs, demand seems to be outrunning these constraints.