Chad has granted approval to Elon Musk’s Starlink to expand internet access across the central African nation, marking a significant step toward bridging its digital divide.
Key Details
- Regulatory Progress: After talks with Starlink since 2021, Chad’s Communications Minister, Boukar Michel, confirmed that an agreement has been reached. “We have managed to agree on the essentials,”.
- Current Connectivity Challenges: Only 12% of Chad’s population had internet access as of 2022, according to World Bank data. Much of Chad remains uncovered by fiber optics, with infrastructure limited in rural areas.
- Broader Goals: Michel expressed optimism about Starlink’s potential to support digitalization, especially for public services in remote areas and in fostering tech start-ups.
Starlink’s African Footprint
Already operating in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and several other African countries, Starlink has faced regulatory pushback elsewhere.
In January, Cameroon seized Starlink equipment over licensing issues, and Kenya’s Safaricom recently urged regulators to consider partnerships between satellite providers and local mobile networks.
According to available data, Starlink currently operates in 17 African countries.
Source: Reuters
