SpaceX, a spacecraft manufacturer and satellite communications corporation led by the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, plans to launch its satellite Internet service, Starlink, in Tanzania in the first quarter of 2021.
The anticipated launch which is still subject to regulatory approval, comes after Starlink’s parent company, SpaceX, filed an application with the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA).
The service will be available in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s capital city, and four other cities across the country, with consumers sharing Starlink’s space infrastructure to access fast-paced Internet service via $99 installation kits that can be preordered on Starlink’s website.
Starlink, Elon Musk’s space exploration company’s satellite Internet service, provides global high-speed, low-latency broadband Internet. This is made possible by a constellation of very advanced satellites in low orbit around the Earth.
Starlink officially launched in Africa earlier this year, with Musk claiming that the satellite Internet service provider will operate anywhere on Earth where it is legally permitted to do so.
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has begun discussions with the SpaceX team to launch Starlink Internet services in the country as part of a strategic move to strengthen Zambia’s position in the digital economy and enable universal access to the Internet and other technologies.
In recent times, Starlink has secured approval to operate in Nigeria and Mozambique. Its arrival in Nigeria has been planned since 2021 when representatives from SpaceX visited the Nigerian Communications Commission to discuss the possibility of obtaining an operating license in the country.
Musk said two months ago that the satellite broadband service is now available across all seven continents, following a test in Antarctica, with the purpose of delivering better bandwidth and connectivity to scientists in the U.S. Antarctic Program.