(Ecofin Agency) – On June 11, Starlink announced the commercial launch of its services in Sierra Leone. The company was already present in Nigeria, Rwanda, Mozambique, Kenya, Malawi, Benin, Zambia and eSwatini.
Commercial services from satellite broadband provider Starlink are now available in Madagascar, its tenth African market, the subsidiary of US company SpaceX revealed in a post on X on Thursday, June 27.
To benefit from Starlink’s broadband, Malagasy people will have to pay 226,000 ariary ($50.5) per month plus 1.12 million ariary for the single hardware. The company has promised a 29% discount on the cost of the kit until July 13.
The launch of Starlink’s operations in Madagascar comes just weeks after the government authorized it to operate in the country. The company is continuing its expansion in Africa as part of SpaceX’s ambition to bring broadband to all parts of the world, even to remote and landlocked areas that are difficult for mobile operators’ terrestrial networks to reach. On the continent, the company already has operations in Nigeria, Rwanda, Mozambique, Kenya, Malawi, Benin, Zambia, eSwatini and Sierra Leone.
Starlink’s entry into the Malagasy telecoms market was facilitated by the government’s policy of total liberalization of the ICT sector since April 2023. The executive seeks to stimulate investment in all segments of the market, promote better competition and reduce consumer prices.
This should help improve the adoption and use of Internet services in Madagascar. The country had 4.9 million Internet subscribers for a penetration rate of 17% in 2022, according to data from the Communication Technologies Regulatory Authority (ARTEC).
Isaac K. Kassouwi
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12/04/2024 – Madagascar: Starlink has obtained the agreement of the Malagasy government to launch its high-speed Internet services
