Year 2022: The Inflection Year of Immersive Broadband Connectivity in Africa

I predicted that immersive internet connectivity will hit Africa by 2022. That prediction is just coming along as SpaceX Starlink begins beta testing of its satellite broadband program. The price as announced by SpaceX is high but after two generations of this product, I expect the price to normalize. Then, the redesign will begin as terrestrial-based broadband service providers like MTN and Airtel in Africa will have to take drastic actions on their services.

In terms of pricing, SpaceX says in the emails that the cost for participants in this beta program will be $99 per moth, plus a one-time cost of $499 initially to pay for the hardware, which includes the mounting kit and receiver dish, as well as a router with WiFi networking capabilities.

The goal eventually is to offer reliable, low-latency broadband that provides consistent connection by handing off connectivity between a large constellation of small satellites circling the globe in low-Earth orbit. Already, SpaceX has nearly 1,000 of those launched, but it hopes to launch many thousands more before it reaches global coverage and offers general availability of its services.

Look at this table below, and the 2022 prediction is looking solid. Simply, by 2022, the global population will be at parity with internet users. The implication is that within the next few years, we would have additional 4.2 billion internet users. Most of them would come from Africa and India.

Your business must find a home on the web; there is no going back. Watch the prediction video again.

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