Satellite internet extends coverage to remote areas lacking infrastructure. These services are ideal for reaching remote areas where traditional broadband infrastructure faces several challenges, including complex geography.

Mali's military government has lifted a seven-month ban on the import and sale of satellite equipment from US company Starlink. This will allow individuals to reconnect to the service identified as illegal in March 2024.  The information was revealed in a communiqué issued by the Council of Ministers on Wednesday, October 9, 2024.

The first phase of the suspension of Starlink was aimed at dismantling the terminals already present in the country. The second phase was to examine the feasibility of using the said equipment legally in Mali, “in order to have one or more official interlocutors that the national services can control”, emphasized the government. A way of starting afresh with a clearer vision of the number of devices and their owners.

Starlink's return to favor marks a strategic shift in the country's approach to Internet access. Above all, it reflects confidence in the state's ability to regulate the acquisition and use of this technology. The government previously worried that armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State could exploit this high-speed Internet service to boost their communications, particularly in the northern and eastern regions where restricting Internet access was seen as crucial for security.

The six-month suspension period should enable regulators, ISPs, and authorized operators to work together to ensure the safe use of Starlink within the framework of Malian legislation. However, the authorities remain concerned that some previously sold kits may still be in the hands of unidentified users.

The reintroduction of Starlink in Mali could be a step towards balancing the need for connectivity with national security concerns, especially as Internet access now plays a major role in socio-economic growth. Only 33.1% of the Malian population had access to the Internet at the start of 2024, reveals DataReportal.

Hikmatu Bilali