Amazon’s $9bn satellite deal set to benefit Africa

Steep licensing fee hike for satellite providers could reshape the country’s connectivity landscape.

Threefold growth in two years signals a commercial shift for the state-owned satellite company as it concludes procurement for the NIGCOMSAT-2 fleet.

Milestone trial enables standard 4G smartphones to connect directly to satellites in network dead zones without specialised hardware.

The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia has rejected Starlink’s licence bid, echoing similar resistance in South Africa and spotlighting growing tensions between foreign tech giants and local ownership laws.

The Central African Republic becomes the 27th African market to launch Starlink, as the satellite service targets rural connectivity gaps.

The telco makes it the first operator in the country to offer satellite speeds of up to 100 Mbps.

The country’s communications regulator is seeking to track interference levels with existing cellular networks with the introduction of Direct-to-Cell calls.

MTN claims to be the first African operator to successfully complete a live field test of Starlink’s Direct-to-Cell service in Africa.

The network provides a critical lifeline for humanitarian organisations and displaced communities, supporting essential services including online learning, digital skills training, and community connectivity centres.

The two have struck a deal to connect remote 4G and 5G towers across Africa, strengthening rural coverage and intensifying competition with Starlink.

The Elon Musk-owned satellite internet service had previously blocked new activations due to capacity constraints

The country believes partnerships that leverage technologies such as satellite broadband will be instrumental in addressing the connectivity gap.