Telecom

Starlink's challenge in Africa: navigating regulations to unlock internet access

Starlink's challenge in Africa: navigating regulations to unlock internet access
Tuesday, 26 March 2024 12:04

Accessing internet is now considered an essential need, just like electricity and clean water. Making it available and more accessible to a larger number of people should be a key development strategy for African nations.

The marketing of devices from the satellite Internet service provider Starlink is currently banned in several African countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Senegal, and Mali. In these countries, where offerings have started to emerge, Elon Musk's company has not signed any agreements with the governments, which are thus ensuring compliance with their regulations. And on the other hand, the need to impose a ban  highlights the growing interest consumers have in this particular service and in satellite Internet in general.

This interest was further strengthened by incidents on March 14 involving several undersea fiber optic cables, leading to current disruptions in internet access in about ten countries in West, Central, and Southern Africa. Although Starlink is not accessible to the majority of the African population due to the relatively high cost of its subscription, the service remains attractive to individuals with a certain level of disposable income and many small and medium-sized businesses.

Starlink appeals to African consumers with its small equipment size, the ability to install the connection oneself, and the ability to connect from anywhere, even remote areas. For example, in Rwanda, the first month's subscription, which includes the monthly service fee, the purchase of equipment, and shipping, costs about 510,000 Rwandan francs ($396.3) for the standard residential package. In Nigeria, it's around 890,000 Naira ($631.4).

In Africa, even though the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) assesses mobile phone coverage at 90% in its "Measuring digital development Facts and Figures 2023" report, many countries still have areas with poor telecom coverage. Outside of urban areas, both coverage and service quality have been criticized by several telecom regulators who have issued multiple warnings.

Starlink, which offers a potential solution for quality Internet access desired by consumers, needs to comply with regulations in each country to deploy fully. In Ghana, where the service was declared illegal in December 2023, the National Communications Authority (NCA) recently announced that discussions are underway with the company to regularize its presence.

For other Internet service providers in Africa, the expressed interest in satellite Internet connectivity is a signal that should encourage them to offer more flexible services and more responsive customer service. There should also be more communication about the existing satellite Internet services, as telecom service communications have been dominated by mobile phone operators.

On the same topic
This successful bond sale not only reinforces AXIAN Telecom’s financial strength but also signals growing investor confidence in African digital...
• Experts at Cyber Africa Forum 2025 stress consumer education to fight cyber threats• Social engineering scams, phishing, and money mule schemes are...
Lebara Group is now bringing its affordable and reliable mobile services to Africa, starting with Nigeria. This marks a major step in its global expansion...
Monthly mobile data traffic per smartphone in Sub-Saharan Africa will rise to 14 GB by 2030. Total mobile data traffic is expected to grow from 2.3...
Most Read
01

• Maritime sector faces renewed risks amid military tensions in the Middle East• Blockade fears at S...

Israel-Iran conflict raises new threats for global shipping and oil trade
02

Lebara Group is now bringing its affordable and reliable mobile services to Africa, starting with Ni...

Telecoms: Lebara Enters Nigerian Market with Strong Competitive Ambitions
03

In a West African financial landscape marked by tighter regulation of the fintech sector, digital fi...

In Five Years, Francophone Africa Will be A Major Force in African Tech –Régis Bamba
04

• Google unveils Veo 3, its latest AI tool for ultra-realistic video generation• Experts warn deepfa...

Deepfake Threat Becomes Alarming in Africa as AI Advances Faster Than Laws
05

• Gates Foundation commits $1.6 billion over five years to Gavi.• Bill Gates warns of rising ch...

Gates Foundation Pledges $1.6 Billion to Gavi to Boost Global Child Vaccination
Enter your email to receive our newsletter

Ecofin Agency provides daily coverage of nine key African economic sectors: public management, finance, telecoms, agribusiness, mining, energy, transport, communication, and education.
It also designs and manages specialized media, both online and print, for African institutions and publishers.

SALES & ADVERTISING

Benjamin FLAUX
bf@agenceecofin.com 
Téls: +41 22 301 96 11 
Mob: +41 78 699 13 72
Média kit : Download

EDITORIAL
redaction@agenceecofin.com

More information
Team
Publisher

ECOFIN AGENCY

Mediamania Sarl
Rue du Léman, 6
1201 Geneva
Switzerland

 

Ecofin Agency is a sector-focused economic news agency, founded in December 2010. Its web platform was launched in June 2011. ©Mediamania.

 
 

Please publish modules in offcanvas position.