NCC begins pre-enforcement action on Starlink over price hike

“The decision by Starlink to unilaterally review their subscription packages upwards did not receive the approval of the Nigerian Communications Commission.

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Tuesday criticised Starlink’s recent data tariff increase, stating that the decision was implemented without regulatory approval.

The NCC Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka, made this known on Tuesday.

Mr Muoka stated that following this contravention, the NCC has begun a pre-enforcement action on Starlink, a satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk.

“The decision by Starlink to unilaterally review their subscription packages upwards did not receive the approval of the Nigerian Communications Commission.

“The action of the company is in contravention of Sections 108 and 111 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003, and Starlink’s License Conditions regarding tariffs.

“The Commission commenced pre-enforcement action on the licensee on the 3rd of October, 2024,” the statement read.

Last week, Starlink announced that it had doubled the price of its monthly subscription rate for Nigerian users, citing excessive inflation as the reason for the price surge.

From an initial rate of N38,000, subscribers on the standard residential plan will now be charged N75, 000. Meanwhile, the new price for the Starlink hardware was set at N590, 000 from the previous price of N440, 000.

The announcement triggered widespread criticism against the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for approving Starlink’s tariff hike while preventing local internet service providers from doing the same.

For years, the NCC has denied calls for a review of the price of voice and data tariff by the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria, ALTON.