São Tomé and Príncipe has become the 26th African market to join Starlink’s expanding footprint in a turning point for one of the continent’s most geographically isolated nations.
Starlink confirmed the activation through coordinated announcements on X and yesterday, setting the stage for immediate purchase, installation and onboarding in the island nation off Central Africa’s coast. The move positions São Tomé and Príncipe alongside a growing list of African countries gaining access to SpaceX’s low-Earth-orbit satellite internet system.
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and the entrepreneur behind Tesla and X, amplified the news on his social platform yesterday.
While sharing Starlink’s updated Africa coverage map, he wrote: “Starlink’s high-speed, low-latency internet is now available in São Tomé and Príncipe,” a post that drew over 1.5 million engagements within hours of going live.
Ben MacWilliams, a Starlink representative at SpaceX, echoed the game-changing moment for the Island nation on LinkedIn. “Starlink is now live in São Tomé and Príncipe, our 26th market in Africa,” stated.
MacWilliams' statement underlined the service's accelerating momentum across the continent as Starlink pushes deeper into underserved markets.
The activation follows Starlink’s methodical expansion across Africa over the past 12 months. During this period, the global satellite internet provider secured regulatory approvals and commenced operations in Somalia, Chad, Lesotho, Guinea-Bissau and the Republic of Congo.
With more than 20 African markets now switched on, the company continues to advance despite facing licensing hurdles in several key countries, including South Africa.
For São Tomé and Príncipe, a nation long constrained by its remoteness and limited terrestrial infrastructure, Starlink’s arrival introduces a new era.
The small country with a population of just 240 000 people has historically relied on submarine cables and patchy terrestrial networks, with limited investment flowing into digital backbone upgrades.
While Starlink’s hardware costs remain high for many households, the service is expected to attract government departments, tourism operators, banks and higher-income families, similar to adoption patterns observed elsewhere in Africa.
For a nation navigating both geographic isolation and a digital access gap, Starlink’s entry signals a rare opportunity for direct-to-home, high-speed broadband without waiting for new cables or towers.
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