Nearly 90% of Burundi's population has no access to Internet services, according to DataReportal. The Burundian government aims to bridge this gap as part of its digital transformation.
SpaceX has begun talks with the Burundian authorities to launch its Starlink satellite Internet services in the country. A delegation from the US firm was given an audience by President Evariste Ndayishimiye, on September 19. The meeting took place in New York, on the sidelines of the 78th UN General Assembly.
According to its official website, Starlink plans to launch its services in Burundi in the second quarter of 2024. The company specifies that the availability of its commercial services in the country is subject to regulatory approval.
Starlink's low-orbit satellite constellation should enable the government to accelerate coverage of the entire Burundian population with high-speed Internet connectivity, including communities living in remote rural areas that are difficult for telecom operators' terrestrial networks to access. In addition, the Agence de Régulation et de Contrôle des Télécommunications (ARCT) plans to launch commercial 5G in the country from July 2024.
According to statistics from the DataReportal data platform, Burundi had 1.33 million Internet subscribers in January 2023, for a penetration rate of 10.2%. The number of cell phone users was 6.99 million, with a penetration rate of 53.5%.
Isaac K. Kassouwi
• Investors seem to keep focusing on yields, which are high for the moment• New Leadership might see...
• Qatar Airways and Kenya Airways establish strategic agreement, introducing a third daily flight be...
• ECOWAS Bank funds 47.7-km stretch of strategic 700-km road project• Lagos-Calabar highway seen boo...
• EY is preparing to leave Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa by 2026• The exit could unlock $500 m...
• Inflation within the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) fell to a two-year low of 0....
• Ghana signs a deal with eLearning Africa to expand digital learning access across the country.• The partnership focuses on deploying modern digital...
Ghana launches the Oncology Nurse Leadership Program (ONLEP) to train specialized oncology nurses from seven African countries. The five-year...
Ivanhoe Mines signs deal covering 100% of Kamoa-Kakula smelter’s copper output. The smelter will process up to 500,000 tonnes annually, starting at...
African gas projects drive significant contracts for Asian shipbuilders, especially for Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) units. South Korean...
Kolmanskop offers a haunting blend of lost wealth, colonial history, and the unstoppable force of nature. Located just a few kilometers inland from...
Located about 40 kilometers from Cape Town’s city center, Boulders Beach in Simon’s Town is one of the Cape Peninsula’s most iconic destinations. This...