Africa’s leading telecommunications service provider, Airtel Africa, has on Monday the signing of an agreement with SpaceX to bring Starlink’s high-speed internet services to its customers across the continent.
SpaceX has acquired the requisite licenses in nine out of 14 countries within Airtel Africa’s footprint, while the operating licenses for the other five countries are still in process.
Through this collaboration, Airtel Africa will further enhance its next-generation satellite connectivity offerings and expand services for enterprises, businesses, and socio-economic communities, such as schools and health centers, even in the most rural parts of Africa.
Airtel Africa Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Sunil Taldar stated that Airtel Africa and SpaceX will continue to explore additional areas to promote digital inclusion on the continent, leveraging SpaceX’s ability to utilize and benefit from Airtel’s ground network infrastructure and other capabilities in Africa.
“We remain deeply committed to our vision to enrich the lives of people of Africa. 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 has reliable and affordable voice and data connectivity even in the most remote and currently underserved parts of Africa,” he said.
On the other end, SpaceX Vice President of Starlink Business Operations Chad Gibbs expressed their excitement about working with Airtel to bring the transformative benefits of Starlink to the African people in new and innovative ways.
“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,” Gibbs said.
The nine countries that SpaceX has acquired requisite licenses include Malawi ,Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia, , Rwanda, Niger, Madagascar, DRC and Chad.
