Even with 88% of the population being covered by terrestrial networks, millions are stranded in the digital dark. Airtel Africa, in partnership with SpaceX, says that changes next year.

Speaking at a press conference held on Thursday, December 18, 2025, Dinesh Balsingh, CEO of Airtel Nigeria, expanded on the earlier announcement  that Airtel Africa would deploy Starlink Direct-to-Cell satellite connectivity across its 14 markets. 

“This provides satellite connectivity across all our 14 markets of Airtel Africa, serving about 174 million customers. Airtel Nigeria will launch this service in 2026, providing data for select applications, text messaging, and USSD services,” Balsingh said.

This is a calculated strike at the incessant gaps in Nigeria’s digital sector. Fibre vandalism, inaccessible terrain, and low-density rural populations have long made network expansion expensive and slow. “Some areas are deserts, mountains, or simply too remote for fibre. Satellite connectivity ensures reliable access wherever you go, irrespective of geography,” Balsingh further noted.

Starlink’s first-generation and next-generation satellites will bring high-speed mobile broadband, ensuring smartphone users can access WhatsApp, mobile money, and essential apps even where no terrestrial network exists. 

Airtel Nigeria becomes the first operator in the country to offer this service, powered by 650 satellites for seamless coverage.

Who Benefits?

The press conference also addressed the question of who benefits? Balsingh explained, “It will be a combination of both. While deep rural areas have lower smartphone penetration, there is still a significant population. Connectivity will serve local communities and travellers alike,” he said. Farmers, traders, and seasonal workers can remain connected when moving between towns and remote villages.

Technological advances now make this leap feasible. A decade ago, satellite internet was expensive and impractical for mobile use. Today, falling device prices and SpaceX innovations bring it within reach. 

“Technology moves forward. Today, around 50–55% of our customers use smartphones, up from single digits a decade ago. SpaceX’s innovations make satellite mobile connectivity realistic and scalable,” Balsingh noted.

Airtel Africa is doubling down on investments alongside Starlink. Over the past six months, 700 new sites were rolled out, 99% 4G-ready, while preparations for 5G deployment continue. Home broadband solutions, including Smart Connect outdoor units, will complement mobile coverage, bringing fibre-like connectivity into homes in urban and semi-urban areas.

Beyond coverage, resilience is an indispensable goal. When fibre is cut or vandalised, satellite connectivity acts as a reliable fallback. “This is a big boon for rural markets. We have to ensure the service is well deployed and people don’t feel a difference as they switch seamlessly between these technologies.”

For Airtel Africa, Balsingh stressed that the Starlink partnership isn’t just about technology, but digital inclusion, financial accessibility, and economic empowerment. “We remain committed to our leadership in connectivity innovations that empower individuals, capitalise economic opportunities, and unlock sustainable development.”

Airtel says the Starlink Direct-to-Cell service launch in Nigeria is slated for 2026, pending regulatory approvals, and promises to ensure no community is left disconnected.

According to the report, Nigeria mobile broadband ranks 56th in the internet quality index due to low internet speeds.

“The country has one of the slowest broadband connection speeds globally (13.45 Mbps), ranking 105th, and slightly faster mobile internet (17.91 Mbps), ranking 96th,” said the report. “However, the country’s broadband speed growth is one of the fastest on the planet, ranking 16th.”

Interestingly, the telecom industry regulator in Nigeria – the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has set of KPIs to ensure the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) maintain appreciable quality of service (QoS). But how are the MNOs fairing? Can you as a consumer help to improve the quality of mobile broadband in Nigeria? Enext believes you can!

Enext Wireless, through its dynamic National Independent Wireless Broadband Quality Reporting (NIWBQR), provides the public and the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) a level of visibility into the quality of LTE access in the country.

Early last year, Enext Wireless showcased few components of its flagship – Enext Metrics.

Quality of Mobile Broadband in Nigeria

• 1G and 2G were for mobile voice connection services
• 3G was for mobile voice and some data connection services
• 4G is for internet data connection services which allow for multiple forms of communication – voice, video, multimedia, internet of things, etc.
• 5G extends the data communication capabilities of 4G to increase connection speed and density and allow for the creation of unique communication services within the same network (network slicing).
• All of the above depend on effective utilization of the airwave. And the more advanced the standard, the higher the demand on the quality of the utilization of the airwave.
• It is not sufficient to accept what the service providers say about the quality of their networks when users can independently verify that quality
• EMETRICS (available here) provides a means for such independent verification

How you can help

• Use EMETRICS to find the quality of mobile broadband (LTE or 5G) at your location.
• Let your service provider know you would like them to provide measurement data to Enextgen or use Enext Wireless’ measurement tool (Enextlog), if there is no data for your location or area.
• Share with us any observed lack of correlation between its ranking and your experience at your location.
• Spread the news that Enext Wireless provides information on the quality of mobile broadband.
  • The more users, the more areas covered
  • The more areas covered the higher the incentive for the operators to pay attention to the quality of their mobile broadband networks.
• Realize that this service is offered by a company whose primary interest is in looking out for the Nigerian public
• Understand that quality of service rating should flow from those receiving the service to those offering it, not the other way around.
• Don’t rely on self-serving quality reports from network operators.

Usage Guide

• The key information is conveyed in color codes
  • You have LTE coverage if the EMETRICS rank is not RED
  • RED means not to expect reliable LTE coverage.
  • The other codes – saddle brown, yellow, blue and green are for use in optimizing RF quality.
• Toggle Full Screen to change MNOs.
• Use Report Selection for viewing the other measurements that are primarily for technical use.
  • Ping is for packet latency which provides some indication of application layer performance
  • Uplink and downlink throughput data will show up under the appropriate selection (we often do not collect these)

The focus of its measurements is to improve RF quality, which is the foundation for reliable mobile internet access.