AMN Expands Starlink Use in Rural Nigeria, Boosts Traffic by 45%

AMN has announced that it has successfully utilised SpaceX’s Starlink constellation to provide satellite backhaul at more than 100 of its rural base stations so far in Nigeria. AMN expects to double this number before the end of the year. On average, traffic has increased by approximately 45% across all sites that have been migrated to use LEO backhaul. 

In 2023, AMN announced a commercial agreement to use Starlink, SpaceX’s constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit, to connect AMN’s mobile network base stations with high-speed, low latency broadband services. In April 2024, AMN announced that the first AMN base station went live using the LEO backhaul solution. 

Since installing a Starlink terminal on its base station in Yebu, Nigeria, AMN teams have rolled out more than 100 terminals to other rural villages across the country with excellent results. By using Starlink’s LEO constellation to provide mobile backhaul, AMN is able to unlock the full capability of the AMN Radio Node (ARN) to support the ever-increasing amounts of bandwidth and data volumes demanded by subscribers. 

The flexibility of AMN’s Radio Node has also contributed to the traffic increase across these sites. AMN’s ARN is a multi-carrier and multi-technology (2G/3G/4G) radio node which can operate up to 5 simultaneous carriers in either 2G+ 3G or 2G+4G configuration. By using LEO backhaul in conjunction with the software-defined AMN Radio Node, AMN has been able to increase the BTS capacity remotely with no change to the existing BTS hardware on site. To illustrate the power of the ARN and Starlink together, some rural AMN sites are processing more than 25,000 voice minutes per day. 

These numbers are particularly impressive given that prior to the installation of AMN’s base station, communities did not have access to any mobile network. The mobile connectivity AMN provides changes lives. Farmers can find information about market prices, a healthcare provider can consult with doctors in a larger town, money can be sent safely and securely into the village, and businesses can expand beyond their own community. 

AMN is dedicated its vision of a fully connected world and appreciates that any solution to close the digital divide must be economically sustainable whilst also offering a service that is of a similar quality to urban areas. Viability of a project from an economic perspective is crucial to providing long-term access to telecommunication services. From designing and manufacturing its own BTS, uniquely developed for the low-cost rural application, to offering cutting edge backhaul solutions, AMN is committed to bringing high quality connectivity to those living in rural and ultra-rural areas.