Starlink has launched commercial satellite internet services in the Central African Republic, bringing high-speed connectivity to one of Africa’s least connected nations and extending SpaceX’s African footprint to at least 27 markets. The launch follows a government agreement signed in Bangui on December 18, 2025, representing a turnaround of approximately 90 days from regulatory approval to commercial availability.
The announcement was made by Elon Musk on X on March 16. The CAR becomes the second African country to receive Starlink in 2026, following Senegal’s launch in February. Starlink simultaneously reached a separate milestone on March 16 with more than 10,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit simultaneously, the first constellation in history to achieve that number.
- Internet penetration in the Central African Republic stood at approximately 15.5 percent at the start of 2025, representing around 839,000 internet users from a population of 5.6 million. Roughly 88 percent of the population had no reliable internet access.
- 4G coverage reached just 0.3 percent of the population as of 2023, while 2G and 3G networks covered 59.6 percent, according to ITU data. Most of the country’s territory has no terrestrial broadband infrastructure.
- Residential service is priced at 33,000 XAF per month, approximately $57. Hardware costs 240,000 XAF ($418) for the Standard kit and 123,000 XAF ($213) for the Mini kit.
- GDP per capita in the Central African Republic is estimated at approximately $516 to $531, making the hardware cost equivalent to roughly eight to nine months of average per capita income.
- Beyond commercial subscriptions, Starlink has committed to donating satellite kits to rural schools, health centres, and government institutions as part of the rollout structure.
- The agreement was signed on behalf of the CAR government by Minister of Digital Economy, Posts and Telecommunications Justin Gourna Zacko, in the presence of Prime Minister Félix Moloua and presided over by President Faustin-Archange Touadéra.
- The groundwork was laid in November 2025 when President Touadéra met Starlink executives in the United States on the sidelines of a United Nations summit, initiating direct negotiations that concluded within weeks.
The CAR launch is Starlink’s most connectivity-impactful African rollout by the metrics of population offline. South Africa, the continent’s most commercially attractive market for satellite internet, remains out of reach due to Black Economic Empowerment ownership requirements that Starlink has not yet met. Starlink has committed to spending at least ZAR 500 million to provide free internet to 5,000 South African schools and invest ZAR 2 billion in local infrastructure, and is pursuing a BEE-compliant business structure to unlock that market.
Across the continent, Starlink’s expansion has accelerated sharply. The service operated in 14 African countries at the end of 2023, reached approximately 25 by end of 2025, and continues adding markets in 2026. Airtel Africa has signed a partnership with SpaceX to integrate Starlink into its connectivity infrastructure across the 9 of its 14 African operating countries where Starlink already holds licences, with the remaining 5 in progress. MTN Group has enterprise-grade Starlink trials underway in Rwanda and Nigeria.
Bigger Picture: The Central African Republic launch is a signal about where satellite internet is headed on the continent, not just a story about one country. The CAR is among the five or six least connected nations on earth. If Starlink can make commercial operations work there, it can work anywhere in Africa. The affordability challenge is real and structural: at $57 per month for a subscription and $418 for hardware in a country where GDP per capita is around $520 annually, consumer uptake will be limited to institutions, businesses, and a thin affluent urban layer. The donated kits for schools and health centres are where the development impact actually sits. The broader Africa picture is a race between satellite connectivity and terrestrial infrastructure, and satellite is winning on speed of deployment. With Airtel and MTN both entering distribution partnerships with Starlink, the satellite layer is becoming part of Africa’s mainstream telecom architecture rather than a niche alternative. South Africa is the last major holdout. When that market opens, Starlink’s African revenue picture changes substantially.
Source: Space in Africa / Technext / Ambition Journal
