Starlink Installation, Maintenance Capable of Creating Jobs -Minister

Thousands of jobs can be created through initiatives like a certified installer/maintenance programme for Starlink and collaborating with hardware startups to produce repeater boxes locally, the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has disclosed.

The minister stated, on X (formerly Twitter), that he mentioned this to the Senior Director of Global Licensing and Activation of SpaceX, Ryan Goodnight, on Sunday when they met on the sidelines of the on-going International Telecommunication Union-World Radio Communication Conference in Dubai.

Tijani, who shared that Nigeria was now Starlink’s biggest market in Africa, said he discussed the issue of connecting unserved and underserved Nigerians and the possibility of creating new jobs with the SpaceX director.

He tweeted: “Excellent conversation with Ryan Goodnight, Snr. Director, Global Licensing and Activation of @SpaceX on the sidelines of ITU-WRC 23, who shared that Nigeria is their biggest market in Africa.

“As demand for @Starlink continues to grow in Nigeria, we spoke about the issue of connecting unserved and underserved Nigerians. I also mentioned the possibility of creating thousands of new jobs in Nigeria through initiatives like a certified installer/maintenance programme for Starlink and working with hardware startups to produce repeater boxes locally. Our intention is to encourage every tech company to invest and deepen our tech ecosystem @elonmusk.”

According to data from the Nigerian Communications Commission, the firm, which officially launched in Nigeria in January 2023, now has 6,756 wireless Internet subscribers. Nigeria was Starlink’s first African operational country and 47th globally.