Starlink has officially launched services in South Sudan with the approval of the National Communications Authority (NCA), which hopes the LEO satellite operator will bring affordable internet services to the country.
In late June, Eye Radio reported that Starlink and the NCA had signed an agreement under which Starlink would receive a provisional license to operate in South Sudan.
According to a report from Tech Africa News on Monday, the NCA approved the tariff proposals submitted by Starlink, which have also been released publicly.
Customers will need to register with the service and make payments in South Sudanese pounds, equivalent to the US dollar prices set by Starlink, which the NCA says will ensure transparency and affordability of the service, the report said.
The NCA also said that Starlink will soon select local distributors to manage the distribution of its services and equipment within the country. In the meantime, the regulator urged people not to import Starlink kits through unauthorized distributors, which is illegal under the National Communication Act of 2012, the report added.
South Sudan has one of the lowest connectivity rates in the world. According to Kepios, South Sudan has 1.36 million internet users as of January 2024, or a penetration rate of 12.1% – which means almost 88% of the population remains offline.
Meanwhile, according to the latest statistics from GSMA Intelligence, there were 3.97 million mobile connections in South Sudan at the start of this year, which works out to a penetration rate of 35.5%, and represents a 7.7% increase from a year ago. The actual penetration may be lower when accounting for multiple SIM ownership.
