Since the degradation of telecommunications networks by Cyclone Chido, the Starlink system is one of the few to function correctly in Mayotte. At a time when part of the population remains cut off from the world, the authorities have started to deploy it to improve coordination between the prefecture and the municipalities in the distribution of aid to the population.
Every day, they come by the dozens to connect and get news from their loved ones. The Maygame company is one of the few places in Sada where it is possible to connect to the internet. Their secret? A generator and a satellite connection via the Starlink network. Since the disaster, the manager has managed to increase the flow of his subscription to meet demand.
Several kilometers away, in the north of the island, Internet users meet at the Cocobeach restaurant in Hamjago. The package allows 20 people to connect. They can also charge their phone. Everything is free, a gesture of solidarity from the manager in the face of the distress of the residents. Some individuals also took out a Starlink subscription when it was deployed on the island in 2023. It is to them that victims turn in the event of an accident or emergency.
From the first hours of the cyclone, Elon Musk's satellite network was the only one to resist the raging elements. In fact, unlike traditional operators, it does not rely on antennas on land, but on a network of satellites in low orbit. While on land, a large part of the poles relaying fixed Internet will be inoperable for several weeks. These Starlink satellites provide a stable connection, even in extreme weather conditions.
Two weeks after the disaster, entire areas of the territory remain cut off from the world. A population without information or distribution of food. Due to a lack of communication between the prefecture and remote communities, the delivery of vital foodstuffs is happening in trickles. For the State, the satellite network will make it possible to reconnect town halls and critical infrastructure, such as hospitals and emergency services.
The President of the Republic had also announced the deployment from this week of satellite internet connections, first at town halls then gradually in relay zones to allow the population to once again have access to the internet and thus reassuring their loved ones, on the island but also outside.
Antennas installed in Ouagani, Dembeni and Sada last Sunday as well as in Kani-Keli and Chiconi on Monday. Starlink should thus make it possible to cover 80 to 90% of the network within a few weeks.
But the Mahorais did not wait to mobilize. Among the many prize pools launched by the diaspora, some aim to equip the Mahorais with a Starlink connection as quickly as possible. The Émanciper Mayotte association is leading an action to transport Starlink equipment to villages in the south, particularly affected, where conditions for finding electricity supply are difficult. And there too, the network was heavily affected.
