Elon Musk’s Starlink, has offered Nigerians willing to explore its platform two alternative payment channels to order its hardware.
Starlink, at the weekend, said Nigerians could use either Payday or Barter, which are platforms that allow people to create virtual dollar cards and fund them with naira.
Starlink is a satellite Internet constellation operated by SpaceX, providing satellite Internet access coverage to 48 countries. It also aims for global mobile phone service after 2023.
SpaceX’s Starlink went live in Nigeria on January 31, 2023. The firm had tweeted to announce its operations in the country: “Starlink is now available in Nigeria – the first African country to receive service.”
According to industry analysts, the Payday or Barter options might have come because of the inability of many Nigerians to complete their orders after getting to the payment stage.
With the suspension of international transactions on naira cards, only those who have dollar cards can make payments for Starlink, even though the price is quoted in naira.
A notice to that effect reads: “Lagos, Nigeria, order now to reserve your Starlink.
Starlink expects to expand in 2023. You will receive a notification once your Starlink is ready to ship. Prices are based on the official rate. For naira payments, please use Payday, Barter, or similar. N19, 260 for service and N268,584 for hardware.”
