The short answer
Amazon Leo is not available in Nigeria yet. As of 12 October 2026, Amazon had not launched commercial service anywhere, and it has announced no Nigerian launch date or price, although the NCC granted Amazon’s Kuiper Systems a landing permit effective 28 February 2026. Starlink is the only low-orbit satellite service sold widely to Nigerian homes today, so if you need internet now, Starlink is the realistic choice.
What is Amazon Leo, and is it in Nigeria yet?
Amazon Leo is Amazon’s satellite internet network. It was called Project Kuiper until Amazon renamed it in November 2025. Like Starlink, it uses satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), below 2,000 km, which keeps the delay short. Where things stood in October 2026:
- Satellites: 396 broadband satellites deployed over 14 launches by 12 October 2026, out of a planned first-generation network of 3,236. Full deployment is due by 30 July 2029.
- Service: no commercial launch yet. Amazon still says initial service will start “in 2026”, after missing a mid-2026 target. It has early business customers such as JetBlue and Delta.
- Nigeria: the NCC granted Kuiper Systems LLC a seven-year landing permit, effective 28 February 2026, covering Ka-band services. No Nigerian launch date, retail partner or price has been announced.
- Africa: Amazon’s first named African partner is Herotel in South Africa, with a home service expected in 2027.
- Terminals: Amazon has announced three. Leo Nano is a 7-inch square rated up to 100 Mbps; Leo Pro, the standard home unit, is an 11-inch square rated up to 400 Mbps; Leo Ultra measures 20 by 30 inches and is rated up to 1 Gbps down and 400 Mbps up. No prices yet.
You can see Kuiper’s permit, alongside Starlink’s and every other licensed operator, on the NCC’s list of authorised space services operators.
Starlink vs Amazon Leo: side by side
| Starlink | Amazon Leo | |
|---|---|---|
| Company | SpaceX | Amazon |
| In Nigeria | Selling since January 2023; second-largest internet provider by subscribers (98,642 in the second quarter of 2026, NCC data) | Licensed from 28 February 2026; not launched |
| Home kits | Standard (Gen 3) and Mini | Nano, Pro and Ultra announced |
| Speed | 50 to 121 Mbps in our handover tests | Up to 100, 400 or 1,000 Mbps by terminal, as advertised; no real-world tests in Nigeria |
| Latency | 23 to 92 ms in our handover tests | Not yet measurable in Nigeria |
| Price in Nigeria | Kit plus monthly plan; see our current prices | Not announced |
| Can you buy it today? | Yes | No |
For today’s Starlink kit and plan costs through us, see our Starlink price guide. If you want the background on the company behind Starlink, read who owns Starlink.
Other satellite internet in Nigeria
Starlink and Amazon Leo are not the only satellite networks licensed by the NCC. The real difference is who can buy them:
- Eutelsat OneWeb (LEO): licensed in Nigeria since 2023. Airtel holds a nationwide licence to provide service over OneWeb, and NIGCOMSAT partnered with OneWeb in January 2025 for government, businesses and rural communities. It is sold through these partners, mainly to organisations rather than homes.
- Eutelsat Konnect (GEO): used by Tizeti, which announced community Wi-Fi hotspots on Konnect for remote Nigerian communities in 2022.
- Yahsat (GEO): its YahClick service signed with NIGCOMSAT in 2023 to serve government and private organisations, with 25 Mbps standard and up to 100 Mbps corporate plans.
- Avanti HYLAS-4 (GEO): has had its gateway in Lagos since 2018, and Viasat Nigeria holds licences on it.
- SES O3b and O3b mPOWER (MEO): medium-orbit capacity for large companies and shipping.
- Newer licences: in the same round of approvals as Kuiper, reported in January 2026, the NCC also licensed BeetleSat and Satelio IoT Services.
In practice, Starlink is the only low-orbit service sold widely to Nigerian homes as of October 2026. Our guide to how Starlink satellites work explains the network behind it.
Satellite-to-phone services are a separate thing. Starlink Mobile (formerly Direct to Cell), launched with Airtel in some African countries, and the direct-to-device system Amazon has slated for 2028 connect ordinary phones for texts and light data, not your home or office. Our article on Starlink SIM cards and Direct to Cell covers where that stands in Nigeria.
LEO vs GEO: why the orbit matters
Older satellite internet, often called VSAT, mostly uses geostationary (GEO) satellites, which sit about 35,786 km above the equator. Every request travels from your dish up to the satellite and down to a ground station, and the reply makes the same trip back: four legs of about 35,786 km, or roughly 143,000 km. Light covers about 300,000 km a second, so 143,000 ÷ 300,000 ≈ 0.48 seconds. That is nearly half a second of delay before any network delay is added, which makes video calls awkward and fast online games impractical.
LEO satellites are below 2,000 km, so at least 18 times closer (35,786 ÷ 2,000 ≈ 18). Even if each of the four legs were 2,000 km, that is 8,000 km, which light covers in under 27 ms (8,000 ÷ 300,000 ≈ 0.027 seconds). Our Starlink installations measured 23 to 92 ms in total at handover, including the network beyond the satellite. Medium Earth orbit (MEO) systems such as O3b sit in between.
Should you buy Starlink now or wait for Amazon Leo?
- Buy now if you need internet now. No one can say when Leo will reach Nigeria or what it will cost here. Amazon’s first African home service, in South Africa, is not expected until 2027.
- Buying now does not lock you in. Starlink is month to month, Nigerian customers have been told they can cancel at any time from their account, and you own the kit. The kit is the one cost you would not easily recover if you later switched.
- There is no rush if you are well served. If fibre or 5G already works for you, compare first in our Starlink vs MTN 5G and Fibre X comparison.
- Competition helps, but do not assume Leo will be cheaper. A second low-orbit provider gives Nigerians a choice, but its Nigerian prices are unknown.
ZuraLink Limited plans to offer Amazon Leo once it launches in Nigeria, so we will be able to advise you on both. For fibre and mobile options such as Airtel, Spectranet and Tizeti, see our Starlink vs alternatives guide.
Talk to us before you decide
If you are weighing up Starlink now against waiting, tell us where the dish would go and how you use the internet. We check what Starlink offers at your address before you pay anything. When you are ready, buy your Starlink kit from us with delivery, installation and activation in one visit. WhatsApp us or call 0802 859 5303, 24 hours a day.
Starlink vs Amazon Leo FAQs
Is Amazon Leo the same as Project Kuiper?
Yes. Amazon renamed Project Kuiper “Amazon Leo” in November 2025. The NCC’s register still lists the permit under Kuiper Systems LLC.
When will Amazon Leo launch in Nigeria?
No date has been announced. Amazon says its first service will start in 2026, but it has named no Nigerian partner or price.
Is Amazon Leo better than Starlink?
It is too early to say. Amazon advertises up to 400 Mbps on its standard terminal, but there are no real-world results from Nigeria to compare with Starlink’s.
Who are Starlink’s competitors in Nigeria?
Among satellite services, OneWeb (through partners such as Airtel and NIGCOMSAT) and geostationary providers such as Eutelsat Konnect, Yahsat and Avanti. For most homes, the real competition is fibre and 5G.
Is there an internet service like Starlink for homes in Nigeria?
Not yet at scale. Starlink is the only low-orbit service sold widely to Nigerian homes; other satellite options mostly serve businesses, government or community hotspots.