Starlink, a satellite internet service under American billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX company, has submitted an application to obtain a license from Uganda Communications Commission (UCC).
The license will allow Starlink to begin offering internet services in Uganda.
“Starlink has submitted their application and we will be giving our position on that,” Mr Nyombi Thembo, the UCC Executive Director, told the CEO East Africa Magazine in an exclusive interview yesterday at the sidelines of an Airtel event to launch an AI-powered spam alert service in Kampala.
Starlink uses advanced satellites and user hardware in a low earth orbit to deliver high-speed and low-latency broadband to internet users across the globe. The internet is capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, video calls and more.
The development comes at a time when Starlink is already operating in 19 countries across Africa. Uganda has been cautious about its entry into the market with some analysts citing “a possible distabilisation of the status quo.”
However, some multinational telcos have indicated ‘possible partnerships’ with Starlink.
Bharti Airtel, operating in more than 18 countries globally, recently announced a distribution agreement allowing it to sell SpaceX’s Starlink internet services in India. It is yet to be clear whether the deal will be extended to other jurisdictions in Africa.
Letters to My Younger Self: Robinah Siima — “Success Is Quieter, But Richer”Elsewhere across the continent in Nigeria, Starlink has already made inroads in the market, becoming Nigeria’s second-largest internet service provider (ISP), overtaking FiberOne Broadband Limited in Q4 2024, according to data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
A report from Tech Cabal, an online news agency, shows that despite its premium pricing, Starlink’s user base more than doubled within a year, surging from 23,897 subscribers in 2023 to 65,564 by the end of 2024. This rapid growth reflects the increasing demand for its high-speed connectivity, which delivers speeds of up to 250 Mbps—far exceeding what most local ISPs offer.
Other market analysts say, Starlink is still relatively expensive for an average data consumer from a logistical perspective, and may only benefit business-to-business arrangements in the short term.
A Ugandan telecom expert, who preferred to speak anonymously, said that Starlink should be treated ‘cautiously’ considering its significant comparative advantage in high-tech infrastructure, capital resources, and instant global reach.
“Starlink can help us leapfrog in terms of service delivery, but thereafter, we’re at the mercy of these entities which are backed by powerful governments but also they’re run by powerful individuals, but when at the point of licensing you disadvantaged your legacy telecom infrastructure,” the telecom expert said, noting that Starlink could hold the industry at ransom especially in developing countries with ICT infrastructure that has not yet reached certain baselines to complement in a competitive way.
The expert said some African countries are slowing down on Starlink and raising the bar in regulation.
