Zimbabwe approves Musk’s Starlink

Zimbabwe’s telecommunications regulatory authority has approved Elon Musk’s Starlink, the satellite arm of SpaceX, to operate within the southern African nation, according to Reuters citing President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Saturday.

Mnangagwa highlighted that this decision is anticipated to facilitate the deployment of high-speed, cost-effective, low-Earth-orbit (LEO) internet infrastructure across Zimbabwe, particularly in rural areas. Starlink will deliver its services exclusively through its local partner, IMC Communications.

According to a 2021 World Bank report, only 34.8 per cent of Zimbabwe’s population currently has internet access, with the market mainly dominated by three major mobile network operators.

This approval of Starlink comes amid the Zimbabwean government’s efforts to curb unregistered users importing Starlink kits from neighboring countries such as Zambia.

Starlink is already officially available in several African nations, including Nigeria, Mozambique, Zambia, Kenya, and Malawi.

In a related development, last month, Cameroon initiated the seizure of Starlink equipment at the nation’s ports of entry due to the provider’s lack of licensing.