CHINHOYI – ELON Musk’s Starlink is set to launch its internet satellite services in Zimbabwe
this year and will serve the underserved and marginalised communities.
Starlink is a satellite internet service provider currently being developed and operated by
SpaceX, the private space exploration company founded by Musk.
The service aims to provide high-speed, low-latency internet access to remote and underserved
areas around the world by deploying a large network of low-Earth orbit satellites.
A software engineer, Stephen Chiparaushe, said Starlink’s purpose was to serve the periphery
areas in Zimbabwe and it would not cause a threat to the current Internet Service Providers (ISP).
I dont think its a threat to our current ISPs. Starlink’s main purpose is to serve the most remote
areas e.g. Kanyaga, Chihwiti, Nyamupamire, Binga etc. Currently there are few ISPs and also no
mobile broadband, which seem to serve those areas. Thats where Starlink kicks in.”
He added that the Starlink was way cheaper, fast and reliable compared to other local ISPs.
The big advantage of Starlink over our current ISPs is cost. Starlink terminals cost around
US$599 + 15% tax and transport which will come to around US$700. The Ku Band 120cm
antenna from TelOne and ZOL go for around US$1300. Secondly, Starlink has one package for
home user which cost around US$110 in Europe. With TelOne you get 25GB for $130US for
download speeds of up to 20Mbps and with ZOL you get 30GB for around $150 US for speeds
up to 2 Mbps. Starlink speeds range from 100Mbps to 200Mbps.
Starlink has to adhere to local regulator, The Postal & Telecommunications Regulatory
Authority (POTRAZ) and ZIMRA to be granted an operating licence in Zimbabwe.
I think POTRAZ will embrace the idea of Starlink since our IAP, ISP and mobile operators
have failed to serve the public of Zimbabwe with a reliable Internet connection. As long as
Starlink adheres to POTRAZ regulations and ZIMRA get their fair share. We're good to go.”
ZIMRA offers duty-free for a lot of Information Communication and Technology (ICT)
equipment, Chiparaushe explained.
Rudo Karonga, an electronics engineering student at NUST, said there were several potential
advantages of Starlink in Zimbabwe over current ISPs with high-speed internet access being one
of the major factors.
Starlink aims to provide high-speed internet access to its users, with speeds of up to 100 Mbps
reported in beta testing. This is significantly faster than the average internet speeds currently
available in Zimbabwe, which are among the slowest in Africa.
There is reduced dependency on terrestrial infrastructure.
Starlinks satellite-based internet service does not rely on terrestrial infrastructure such as
cables or fibre-optic lines. This can make it more resilient to natural disasters and other
disruptions that can damage land-based infrastructure, said Karonga
Starlinks satellite-based internet service has the potential to benefit people in marginalised areas
in several ways and increase access to education.
High-speed, low-latency internet access can enable students in remote and underserved areas to
participate in online learning and access educational resources that were previously out of
reach,said Tendai Bhebhe a freelance software engineer and a part-timer at Magamba TV.
He explained that it would also improve healthcare.
With internet access, people in marginalised areas can consult with doctors and other
healthcare professionals remotely, and access telemedicine services. Its worth noting that while
Starlins satellite-based internet service can bring great benefits to people in marginalised areas,
it is not a panacea and there may be some limitations that still need to be overcome, such as the
cost of the service and the equipment required to access the service.”
With approximately 60 percent of the African continent's population without internet access, the
company sees business opportunities when there is marked acceleration in demand for broadband
connectivity since 2020, due to of the Covid-19 pandemic.
