It now seems that the Democratic Republic of Congo has granted a licence to satellite communications company Starlink – despite an earlier ban, which finally appears to have been rescinded.
Late last week the DRC said not only that it had become the latest African country to grant a licence to Starlink but that the company would begin operations soon.
As Reuters points out, DRC, which has been dealing with war and instability for some time, has low connectivity. International Telecommunication Union (ITU) figures indicate that under a third of the population were using the internet by 2023.
However, it’s not clear why DRC has reversed its view given the apparently strong resistance to a service that military officials feared could be used by rebel groups, including Rwandan-backed M23 insurgents who have reportedly routed the DRC army to take control of the eastern part of the country.
Indeed, only a year ago, the Congolese Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said use of Starlink was banned and violators would face sanctions.
Meanshile Starlink continues to make inroads into African markets. April saw licence awards in Lesotho, Guinea-Bissau and Somalia, bringing the service to more than 20 African countries. Could Uganda be next? It has been widely reported that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said last week that he had had a productive meeting with Starlink representatives.
Starlink isn’t having things entirely its own way. Late April also saw the first 27 satellites in Project Kuiper launched, though that still leaves the Amazon business, also positioned as a boost to connectivity in remote or rural areas, some way behind Starlink.
