Apparently, a lot of people are buying the Starlink antenna kit in another region and taking the equipment back to their home country. This is what the latest decision by SpaceX, Elon Musk’s company that controls the service, suggests: charging an extra fee to activate antennas purchased in another geographic area.
Purchasing antennas in other countries can occur when someone is travelling and finds the kit at lower prices, for example. Another possibility is purchasing the antenna in another country to take it to a region that does not officially have Starlink satellite internet.
But, as the Verge points out, this appears to be an effort to curb the action of resellers who buy antennas in a region that has lower-priced kits to resell them in others.
Regardless of the motivation, Starlink has implemented a tax policy to activate antennas purchased in another country. The decision applies to both the conventional model and the Starlink Mini, which has reduced dimensions.
Activation fees in Nigeria
In the Nigerian market, the additional fee for activating antennas purchased in other regions is ₦129,089.54 for each conventional unit and ₦193,634.31 for Starlink Mini. These values are not close to the Nigerian price of the kit with a conventional antenna, of ₦440,000 for residential use.
For comparison purposes, these fees are $200 and $300 in the United States, respectively.
SpaceX’s “message” with this measure is just one: buy the antenna kit in the country where you live to avoid the additional fee. The company does not state that the tax will occur in all cases, but it signals that this possibility exists from now on.
The full table of extra fees segmented by country is on the Starlink website.
Starlink prices in Nigeria
In the Nigerian market, a Starlink subscription for residential use costs ₦38,000 per month plus the cost of the kit with antenna (₦440,000, as a reminder).
For commercial use, prices start at ₦50,000 per month plus the cost of the hardware, which costs ₦3,079,257.
The mobile plan, which can be used by those who have a motorhome or camp frequently, for example, starts at ₦204,000 per month plus the cost of the antenna kit, again at ₦440,000.
