Elon Musk’s Starlink to launch in Uganda by 2024

In 2024, SpaceX’s Starlink Internet will launch in Uganda as the company broadens its reach as a dependable high-speed internet service provider to several nations on the continent of Africa.

Several African nations, including Mozambique and Nigeria, where it received government approval in May of last year and Malawi in October, are currently home to Starlink.

Rwanda is the most recent country to join Starlink’s expansion, and this week it will pilot the technology in more than 500 schools to provide students and teachers there with access to digital tools and educational resources.

Although Starlink in Uganda is still awaiting regulatory approval, one can pre-order the service to reserve it before its expected approval and penetration next year.

It’s critical to be aware of the costs and fees associated with using the service. You must pay $99 (Shs 367,900) to join the beta user list. The company will then charge you $499 (Shs 1.8 million) plus tax for the kit. Everything you need to get online, including your Starlink dish, Wi-Fi router, power supply, cables, and mounting tripod, is included in your Starlink Kit when it arrives.

SpaceX runs the Starlink satellite constellation, which covers 48 nations with satellite Internet access. After 2023, it also aims to provide international mobile phone service. Starlink satellite launches by SpaceX began in 2019.

The majority of people in Africa currently have access to broadband internet, which is offered by businesses including MTN, Airtel, and LycaMobile among others.

Starlink, in contrast to the broadband network, uses satellite technology that communicates wirelessly with a network of low Earth orbit satellites to deliver high-speed internet access to places with little to no connectivity.

The service has the potential to bring dependable, fast internet to remote and rural locations, making it an important tool for enhancing access to economic opportunities, healthcare, and education in underserved areas.

Africa’s Internet adoption rate, which stands at just 36%, is far below the 62.5 percent global average.

In an effort to provide Internet access to underserved communities, Ham Serunjogi, a prominent tech entrepreneur and co-founder of the pan-African payments company Chipper Cash, revealed plans to donate Starlink satellite internet service to Ugandan schools and hospitals last year.

SpaceX has now launched nearly 4,000 Starlink satellites, which provide internet service to people around the world.

And the mega constellation will continue to grow for the foreseeable future: SpaceX has permission to loft 12,000 Starlink craft and has applied for approval to deploy 30,000 more satellites on top of that.