The Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani has disclosed that Nigeria is currently the biggest market for Starlink, a satellite internet constellation operated by American aerospace company SpaceX, which provides coverage to over 60 countries.

Dr. Tijani made this known on Tuesday through his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle while sharing the discussion he had with the Senior Director of Global Licensing and Activation of SpaceX, Ryan Goodnight on Sunday.

According to the Minister, he met Goodnight on the sideline of the ongoing International Telecommunication Union-World Radio Communication Conference in Dubai and had a discussion on the issue of connecting unserved and underserved Nigerians, and the possibility of creating new jobs with the SpaceX director.

Hinting at their conversations through the micro-blogging site, Tijani re-echoed the confirmation of the SpaceX director, saying Nigeria is now the Starlinks’ biggest market in Africa.

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 was officially launched in Nigeria in January 2023, now has 6,756 wireless Internet subscribers.