By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has joined the growing list of African countries to welcome Starlink, a satellite internet service provider owned by tech billionaire and South African-born Elon Musk.
The company is set to commence operations soon, authorities of the Central African country said on Friday.
The government had initially placed a ban, vowing not to grant access to Starlink, as military officials warned that it could be used by rebel groups, including the Rwandan-backed M23, to unleash harm. M23 had earlier in the year captured major cities in the eastern region, displacing thousands of people.
In March 2024, the Congolese Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said use of Starlink was banned and violators would face sanctions.
But on Friday, the same regulator announced that the company had been given a licence and “will proceed with the launch of its services in the coming days.”
A unit of SpaceX, Starlink is rapidly expanding its services on the continent and is live in more than a dozen countries. In April, it gained access in Somalia and Lesotho.
Earlier in the week, it had an interface with Ugandan authorities, a meeting which President Yoweri Museveni said was “productive”, appreciating the commitment of the company to providing low-cost internet in hard-to-reach areas of the country where consumers have long complained about unstable internet service.
War-torn Congo has low internet connectivity, with just about 30% of the population using the internet as of 2023, according to the International Telecommunication Union.
