Elon Musk, Starlink founder. (Pic credit: ALEX @ajtourville )

Starlink is now available in Zimbabwe for $50, making it the 14th country in Africa to license the low-cost high-speed internet service.

Elon Musk's SpaceX broadband satellite internet service was operational at midnight on Friday, just a few hours after it went live in Botswana.

The Starlink high-end kit's one-time pricing of $350 and monthly service fee of $50 is still far less than the country's three dominant telcos – namely Econet, Telecel and NetOne.

The deal has been long coming after Zimbabwe’s telecom regulator POTRAZ approved the licensing of Starlink back in May. 

President Emmerson Mnangagwa was widely quoted saying the service would “result in the deployment of high speed, low cost, low-earth-orbit internet infrastructure throughout Zimbabwe and particularly in all the rural areas.” 

One user on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, summed up what the milestone meant for a country where just 34.8 percent of its people has access to the internet.

 “@Starlink, your announcement lights up the digital skies over Zimbabwe like a constellation of hope. This isn't just internet; it's a beacon of connectivity, a digital lifeline thrown to those in the rural expanses and urban jungles alike,” wrote the X user. 

He said Starlink’s move into Zimbabwe would spark a revolution in education, business, and communication.

“It's about empowering a nation with the tools of the digital age, ensuring that no one is left offline in this global village. From the depths of rural Honde Valley to the bustling streets of Harare, we raise a digital toast to you, Starlink,” he said.