Just days before Ugandans head to the polls, satellite internet provider Starlink has gone dark in the country, abruptly cutting off a connectivity lifeline many feared would soon be needed most.
The shutdown, ordered by regulators and executed on January 1, has reignited debate about digital access, political control and Africa’s dependence on a handful of telecom giants during election periods.
Starlink, owned by billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX, first appeared in Uganda in late 2023, not through an official launch but via grey-market imports.
Terminals were purchased and activated in neighbouring countries where the service is licensed, then quietly brought into Uganda by users seeking faster, uncensored internet, particularly in rural and remote areas that have long been underserved by fiber and mobile networks.
That unofficial use is precisely why Starlink says it was forced to switch off.
In a January 1 letter to the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), Starlink’s director for market access, Ben MacWilliams, stated that the company is not authorised to operate in Uganda because its local entity has not yet been granted a license.
“Any use of Starlink within Uganda was unauthorised and contrary to Ugandan law as well as Starlink’s terms of service,” he wrote.
The timing, however, has raised eyebrows as it comes just days ahead of Uganda’s general elections, which are scheduled for January 15, a period historically associated with internet slowdowns and shutdowns.
With national internet penetration at around 27%, and far lower in rural communities, Starlink had been viewed as a potential game-changer for schools, health centres and small businesses off the fibre grid.
President Yoweri Museveni yesterday confirmed holding high-level talks with Elon Musk to break the regulatory deadlock. “I have been in talks with Elon Musk. We are studying whether satellite can now be cheaper than underground fibre,” he said.
Museveni added that Uganda would allow Starlink if it lowers costs while UCC officials stressed that discussions are ongoing but remain at an exploratory stage, with no licence yet issued.
With Starlink now on ice, Uganda’s connectivity landscape remains firmly in the hands of MTN Uganda, Airtel Uganda, and other established players such as Liquid Intelligent Technologies and Smile.
While these operators dominate the market, critics argue they have struggled to extend affordable, reliable internet deep into rural Uganda.
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