Rural communities in Nigeria will soon be able to enjoy enhanced access to the internet.

In a first for the continent, a collaboration between African Mobile Networks (AMN) and Starlink, the operator of Space-X’s low earth orbit satellite constellation, will enable remote communities to connect to 3G and 4G networks, and possibly 5G at a later stage, as reported by Africa Business Communities.

Starlink terminals will be deployed at sites across Nigeria as part of AMN’s larger project to connect 700 additional rural communities before the end of the year.

AMN plans to double the number of sites it operates in Nigeria to 2 000 in 2024.

‘Today’s announcement of Africa’s first cellular network to use Starlink for the backhaul is an important step that will bring high-speed connectivity to millions of people on the continent for the first time, especially in rural and isolated communities,’ said Chad Gibbs, SpaceX vice-president for Starlink business operations.

22 August 2023
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