• Orange Tunisie launches nationwide satellite internet service with up to 100 Mbps

• Expansion follows Eutelsat partnership, rollout across several African markets

• Move targets underserved areas amid competition from Starlink dominance

Orange Tunisie announced on Friday, March 13, the launch of a satellite internet service, marking a new step in the French telecoms group’s expansion into Africa’s satellite connectivity market, still dominated by U.S. provider Starlink.

In a statement, Orange Tunisie said the service covers the whole country. The technology delivers significantly higher performance than previous generations, with greater bandwidth, improved signal stability and faster speeds, including in remote areas.

The operator added that two plans are available, with speeds of up to 100 Mbit/s, designed to meet connectivity needs, particularly for professionals in isolated areas where reliable internet access is critical for growth.

Expansion in Africa

Before Tunisia, Orange launched its VSAT service in Côte d'Ivoire in January 2026 and in Senegal in December 2025. These deployments come after a multi-year agreement signed in March 2025 between Orange Africa and Middle East and Eutelsat.

The rollout relies on the Eutelsat Konnect satellite. According to the plan, deployment was to begin in Jordan, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with plans to expand across the region.

“It is part of our strategy to offer our customers the best satellite connectivity solutions in high and low orbit, alongside our terrestrial networks. Orange Wholesale’s Satellite Factory has the expertise needed to implement this strategy across the Orange Group,” said Michael Trabbia, chief executive of Orange Wholesale.

A market driven by Starlink

This expansion comes as interest in satellite technology grows across Africa, where it is increasingly seen as a way to bridge the digital divide.

“Satellite connectivity is playing an increasingly important role in Africa’s digital infrastructure. It offers promising prospects for reaching underserved and isolated communities,” the GSMA said in its Mobile Economy Africa 2025 report.

Orange is not the first to enter this market, though few African telecom operators offer satellite services independently from their terrestrial networks. Most still combine satellite capacity from partners with terrestrial infrastructure to extend coverage.

The market also includes internet service providers distributing satellite operators’ services to consumers, such as YahClick, which operates in several African countries through local partners, and Avanti Communications, which distributes its broadband services through a network of partners.

The dominant player remains Starlink, which launched services in Africa in January 2023. The company operates in around 30 African markets, including several where Orange is present: Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone, the DRC, the Central African Republic, Botswana and Madagascar. It plans to expand into around 15 additional markets in 2026, including Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali and Cameroon.

Another provider is also targeting the continent but has yet to begin commercial operations. Amazon’s Project Kuiper recently obtained licences in Nigeria and plans to launch services in South Africa in 2026.

Cost challenges

Several factors could slow satellite internet providers’ expansion in Africa, with pricing among the main constraints, a recurring criticism of Starlink.

Senegal, one of Orange’s key markets where satellite services are already available and where Starlink plans to enter, illustrates this trend. Orange offers a residential plan starting at about $52.50 per month, and a professional plan from about $78.50, with speeds of up to 100 Mbit/s. Setup costs for the professional plan amount to about $219.

Starlink offers a residential plan with download speeds of up to 305 Mbit/s for about $52.50 per month. A lower-cost “Residential Lite” option is available at about $38.50 per month, with speeds of up to 200 Mbit/s. These subscription costs come on top of initial equipment expenses ranging from about $205 to $255.

While pricing between the two operators appears to be converging, affordability for the broader population remains unresolved. The $52.50 monthly cost of Starlink’s residential plan, as well as Orange’s household offer, represents roughly 37.5% of average monthly income per capita in Senegal, according to 2024 World Bank data. This far exceeds the 2% affordability threshold set by the International Telecommunication Union. By comparison, the ITU estimates that 5 GB of mobile internet represented 4.69% of gross national income per capita in 2024.

Regulatory constraints

Beyond pricing, regulatory issues could also pose challenges to Orange’s satellite rollout in Africa, even though the group has already obtained some approvals. Starlink, for instance, has faced regulatory barriers in several countries before securing licences.

One of the most notable cases is South Africa, where the U.S. company is required to sell a stake to local investors, delaying its commercial launch. The company is currently exploring alternatives to overcome that constraint. In Morocco and Tunisia, Starlink’s timeline also remains uncertain, with no launch date announced.

Isaac K. Kassouwi