The Democratic Republic of Congo said on Friday that it had become the latest African nation to grant a licence to tech billionaire Elon Musk's satellite internet company, Starlink, allowing the firm to begin operations shortly.
The Post and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of the Democratic Republic of Congo announced that Starlink, a subsidiary of United States-based SpaceX, had been authorised and "will proceed with the launch of its services in the coming days."
Despite this approval, the Congolese government had previously refused to allow access to Starlink’s services. In March 2024, the same authority declared the use of Starlink illegal and warned that violators would face sanctions. Military authorities had expressed concerns that the technology could be exploited by rebel factions, including the Rwandan-backed M23 group, which had seized more territory than ever before in the east of the country during the current year.
As of 2023, the war-affected nation struggled with limited internet coverage, with only about 30% of the population online, according to the International Telecommunication Union.
Starlink, which has rapidly extended its services across Africa, had previously received operating licences from Somalia and Lesotho in April. The company remained operational in over a dozen countries on the continent.
Meanwhile, in neighbouring Uganda, the President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, said on Tuesday, “I had a productive meeting with Starlink representatives.”
