Nigeria Grants Satellite Permits to Kuiper, BeetleSat and Satelio

Nigeria has issued seven-year satellite permits to Kuiper Systems, Israel’s NSLComm (via BeetleSat) and Germany-based Satelio IoT Services, expanding the list of operators approved to provide space-based broadband in Africa’s largest telecoms market.

The Nigerian Communications Commission said the licences were granted under its commercial satellite communications framework, aimed at attracting investment and accelerating next-generation non-geostationary satellite (NGSO) services.

Under the approvals, Amazon’s Project Kuiper can provide Ka-band services in Nigeria from February 2026 to February 2033 using its planned 3,236-satellite constellation. NSLComm received clearance for its 264-satellite BeetleSat-1 network, while Satelio IoT was approved for a planned 491-satellite system, with one satellite currently in orbit.

The move places the companies alongside SpaceX, which already operates Starlink in Nigeria, and supports the regulator’s goal of rapidly expanding satellite broadband access.