DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Airtel Africa announced Monday an agreement with SpaceX to bring Starlink’s high-speed internet services to its customers across the African continent. SpaceX has already secured the necessary operating licenses in nine of the 14 countries within Airtel Africa’s footprint, with licenses for the remaining five countries currently under process.
Through this collaboration, Airtel Africa aims to significantly enhance its next-generation satellite connectivity offerings. The partnership will augment connectivity for enterprises, businesses, and vital socio-economic communities such as schools and health centers, even in the most remote and underserved rural areas of Africa. Airtel Africa will also explore utilizing Starlink for rural coverage expansion through cellular backhauling.
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Furthermore, Airtel Africa and SpaceX will continue to explore additional avenues to promote digital inclusion across the continent. This includes examining how SpaceX can leverage and benefit from Airtel’s existing ground network infrastructure and other capabilities in Africa.
Sunil Taldar, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Africa, emphasized the company’s commitment to the continent’s digital transformation. “We remain deeply committed to our vision to enrich the lives of people of Africa,” Taldar said. “This partnership with SpaceX is a significant step to demonstrate our continued commitment to advancing Africa’s digital economy through strategic investments and partnerships. Next-generation satellite connectivity will ensure that every individual, business, and community have reliable and affordable voice and data connectivity even in the most remote and currently under-served parts of Africa.”
Chad Gibbs, Vice President of Starlink Business Operations at SpaceX, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration. “We are very excited to work with Airtel to bring the transformative benefits of Starlink to the African people in new and innovative ways,” Gibbs said. “Starlink is available in more than 20 African markets, and this agreement with Airtel highlights how, once licensed, Starlink welcomes the opportunity to join forces with important industry leaders to ensure as many people as possible can benefit from Starlink’s presence. The team at Airtel has played a pivotal role in Africa’s telecom story, so working with them to complement our direct offering across Africa makes great sense for our business.”
The partnership between Airtel Africa, a major telecommunications provider on the continent, and SpaceX’s Starlink, known for its high-speed, low-latency satellite internet, signals a significant step towards bridging the digital divide in Africa and providing crucial connectivity to even the most geographically challenging regions.
