Breaking News: The billionaire business magnate Elon Musk has announced that his internet service firm Starlink would begin providing Mobile Internet Service (MIS) soon.
This announcement follows Starlink’s big event of the launching of 42 new Satellites, 26 of which has the capability to beam internal services directly to mobile devices.
Ben Longmeir one of the company’s prominent engineers said Starlink has so far placed 168 Satellites in orbit dedicated to its latest program to begin providing mobile internet service.
Elon Musk Starlink Collaborates With Top Telecommuication Giants
Elon Musk added that Starlink would collaborate with some established telecommunication giants in various countries to realize its rollout of mobile internet service.
9am News Nigeria recounts that Nigeria is the first African country where Starlink began operating in 2023. Starlink has so far spread operations to 15 other African countries including Ghana, Botswana, Senegal South Africa etc.
In Elon Musk’s statement made available to 9am News Nigeria he said “We are starting off working with one carrier in each country, but ultimately hope to serve all carriers”.
Starlink posted on its website saying “With the new satellites, Starlink is promising the world access to communication services anywhere in the world”.
“Starlink satellites with Direct to Cell capabilities enable ubiquitous access to texting, calling, and browsing wherever you may be on land, lakes, or coastal waters,”
“Direct to Cell works with existing LTE phones wherever you can see the sky. No changes to hardware, firmware, or special apps are required, providing seamless access to text, voice, and data,” it added.
Starlink hinted on the plan to launch mobile internet service since October 2023. It has since been working towards the goal. They plan to launch text messaging services in 2024, with voice and internet connectivity following in 2025.
Ogasabi of 9am News learnt that Starlink successfully tested its text messaging service earlier this year.
Its mobile internet service would support all range of devices and would not require customers to procure new devices.
Starlink may face stiff competition with established mobile service giants such as MTN and Airtel in the African market. However MTN Nigeria has indicated a desire to collaborate with Starlink when it launches its mobile service operations.
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