Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Tuesday announced that he held a “productive meeting” with representatives from Elon Musk’s Starlink, the satellite internet unit of SpaceX, signaling potential entry into Uganda’s digital space.
“I appreciate their commitment to providing low-cost internet in hard-to-reach areas and establishing a presence in Uganda. They are welcome,” Museveni stated on X. Please hyperlink.
The president’s remarks underscore Uganda’s longstanding challenges with high-cost and unreliable internet services. Consumers frequently cite limited competition and infrastructure gaps as key barriers, with the market largely dominated by MTN Uganda—a subsidiary of South Africa’s MTN Group—and a unit of India’s Bharti Airtel.
It remains unclear whether Starlink has formally applied for an operating license in Uganda. The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) did not respond to Reuters’ inquiry on the matter.
Expanding Starlink’s satellite connectivity across Africa
Starlink’s interest in Uganda comes amid a wider push to establish its satellite internet services across Africa. The company has already launched services in more than a dozen African countries. In Nigeria, it became the first country on the continent to go live in early 2023, targeting rural and underserved communities. In Rwanda, Starlink is collaborating with the government to boost digital inclusion in remote schools and health centers. Mozambique, Kenya, and Zambia have also approved its operations, with customers able to order and install Starlink kits for home or enterprise use.
Earlier this month, Somalia and Lesotho granted Starlink licenses, joining the growing list of African nations embracing the company’s low-earth orbit satellite model to expand broadband access. In Ghana, regulators are reviewing the framework for onboarding satellite internet providers, while in Malawi, Starlink has become a popular alternative for areas with limited fibre or mobile broadband coverage.
Starlink’s proposition offers low-latency, high-speed internet via satellite, which has been especially attractive to countries with vast rural geographies or limited terrestrial infrastructure.
Uganda’s digital ambitions
If approved, Starlink could significantly enhance Uganda’s efforts to close its digital divide and support innovation in agriculture, education, and e-commerce. The move aligns with broader efforts across Africa to leverage satellite technology for connectivity in underserved areas and boost national digital economies.
With satellite Internet steadily gaining traction across Africa, Starlink’s potential entry into Uganda could intensify competition in a market long dominated by a few telecom giants.