Starlink, a satellite internet constellation is
expected to launch its high-speed internet operation in Rwanda within the first
quarter of this year following approval from the Rwanda Space Agency.
Operated by SpaceX, a spacecraft manufacturing
company founded by billionaire Elon Musk, Starlink recently received a license
from the Rwanda Space Agency to provide high-performance internet connectivity
to Rwanda using its system of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite.
The Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Space
Agency, Francis Ngabo who made this known to journalists disclosed that
“Starlink is planning to launch its services in Rwanda in the first quarter of
this year, which would make it the second country in Africa to have its
services officially operational.”
According to CEO Ngabo, the approval of
Starlink's operation in Rwanda is aligned with RSA's mission to leverage space
capabilities for national development by contributing to the overall target of
establishing international connectivity redundancy and near-universal broadband
coverage.
The Rwanda Space Agency believes that the
license collaborates with the recent National Broadband Policy and Strategy
(NBPS), which focuses on encouraging businesses that foster affordable, quality
broadband service; and that Starlink technology will significantly boost the
capability to improve internet access in remote and rural areas where
traditional wireless, cable and fiber-optic infrastructure is often difficult to
deploy.
With the deployment of Starlink services in its
territory, Rwanda becomes the fourth country in Africa to be issued a license
to operate after Mozambique, Nigeria, and Malawi.
