In 2021, Starlink began negotiations to get the necessary authorizations to provide its satellite internet services in certain African countries. Pursuing the same objective, the company is partnering with African companies with converging ambitions.

Pan-African broadband connectivity provider Paratus announced on Friday, September 22 that it had signed an agreement to distribute Starlink's broadband Internet services on the African continent.

Under the terms of the agreement, Paratus will supply Starlink to customers across the continent as and when licenses are granted to Starlink in Africa. For the time being, Starlink will be available from Paratus in Mozambique, Kenya, Rwanda, and Nigeria, before being extended to other countries.

"This agreement aligns perfectly with our vision of transforming Africa through exceptional digital infrastructure and customer service.  It means we can offer industry sectors – such as land and offshore energy, mining, hospitality, education, healthcare, agriculture, and more – the reliable and constant connectivity they need to flourish, no matter how remote they are," said Martin Cox, Paratus Group Chief Commercial Officer.

For Starlink, the new agreement is part of its expansion strategy to bring satellite broadband Internet services to every corner of the globe, including remote and landlocked areas hardly accessible for mobile operators' terrestrial networks.

In this way, the partnership between Paratus and Starlink should help to strengthen competition in the African Internet market and promote digital inclusion. According to a 2022 report by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), in 2021, 33% of Africans used the Internet, compared with 63% for the global average. These figures have risen sharply in 2022 with the arrival of new telecom operators and the construction of new infrastructures in several countries.

Samira Njoya