President Emmerson Mnangagwa said Saturday that Zimbabwe’s telecom regulator has licensed SpaceX’s Starlink satellite company
The final decision “is expected to result in the deployment of high-speed, low-cost LEO (low-earth orbit) internet infrastructure throughout Zimbabwe and particularly in all the rural areas,” Mnangagwa stated.
![Zimbabwe Approves Starlink Licensing - Protechbro Zimbabwe Approves Starlink Licensing](https://protechbro.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/image-197-scaled.jpeg)
He stated that IMC Communications, Starlink’s sole and exclusive local associate, will be responsible for service delivery.
In 2021, only 34.8% of Zimbabwe’s population had internet access, according to a World Bank report.
![Zimbabwe Approves Starlink Licensing - Protechbro Zimbabwe Approves Starlink Licensing](https://www.afrobarometer.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/household-access-to-communications-devices-july-2018.jpg)
Three prominent mobile network providers primarily control Internet service in the nation.
The Starlink certification coincides with a government crackdown on unregistered users from neighboring countries, such as Zambia, who are smuggling Starlink kits.
![Zimbabwe Approves Starlink Licensing - Protechbro Zimbabwe Approves Starlink Licensing](https://kenyanwallstreet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Starlink.jpeg)
Presently, Starlink is formally available in several African countries, such as Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Kenya, and Nigeria.
As the provider lacked a valid license, Cameroon ordered the seizure of Starlink equipment at the country’s ports of entry last month.