All the African countries getting Starlink before South Africa

Starlink has either already launched or has planned rollout dates in 44 of Africa’s 54 United Nations-recognised countries — but South Africa is still not on its list for future availability.
The fast, uncapped satellite Internet service is a game-changer for rural connectivity.
Starlink uses a network of more than 5,000 lower-earth orbit satellites for communication, enabling it to provide Internet coverage nearly anywhere in the world.
As long as you can place its dish somewhere outside with a clear view of the sky and pay your subscription, you can use Starlink Internet.
While other older satellite providers can provide broadband connectivity as long as the customer has a dish installed, they cannot achieve anywhere near the speeds of Starlink, have much higher latency, and often impose strict fair usage policies and long-term contract commitments.
Its potential in Africa appears not to have gone unnoticed.
The number of African countries confirmed or planned for launch has more than doubled from the 20 MyBroadband counted on the Starlink coverage map in December 2022.
Starlink first has to obtain approval from regulator authorities in each country where it wants to operate.
During our previous round-up, the service was yet to launch in any African country.

Starlink coverage map showing countries in Africa where the service is already officially rolled out in light blue.
As of October 2023, Starlink is officially available in seven African countries, from where customers can place orders directly through Starlink’s website.
The most recent addition was Benin, following Nigeria, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Malawi, and Mozambique.
In addition, another 25 countries that previously had unknown availability dates are now scheduled to get the service by the end of 2024.
South Africa’s estimated rollout date has also been unknown for several years, supposedly due to an Electronic Communications Act requirement that all telecoms licensees in South Africa must be 30% owned by historically disadvantaged groups.
Starlink’s enterprise head has said the company has prioritised countries that make regulatory clearance less cumbersome.
Other African countries where Starlink is yet to get an ETA include Algeria, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan.
Roaming option available in South Africa
In countries where the service is not officially available — including South Africa — users can access it through global or regional roaming, provided they can import the kit from a country to which Starlink delivers.
Several Internet service providers (ISPs) — including IT Lec, Starsat Africa, and IcasaSePush — have seen this feature as an opportunity.
They can handle the kit importing and service management on behalf of South Africans who are not familiar with bringing in products from other countries themselves.
The roaming option is slightly more expensive than using Starlink in its country of registration, however.
In addition, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) hit IT Lec with a cease and desist order to stop it from importing the kits and managing the service on behalf of customers.
At the time of its letter to the ISP, IT Lec had already imported over 4,000 kits for its customers — many of whom live in rural areas with few other broadband connectivity options.
The table below breaks down the status of Starlink in all 54 UN-recognised countries in Africa.
African countries confirmed to get Starlink | ||
Country | Estimated availability date | |
Algeria | No planned launch date | |
Angola | Q3 2024 | |
Benin | Available | |
Botswana | Q3 2024 | |
Burkina Faso | 2024 | |
Burundi | Q2 2024 | |
Cabo Verde | 2024 | |
Cameroon | 2024 | |
Central African Republic | No planned launch date | |
Comoros | 2024 | |
Chad | 2024 | |
Democratic Republic of Congo | 2024 | |
Djibouti | No planned launch date | |
Egypt | 2024 | |
Eritrea | No planned launch date | |
Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) | 2024 | |
Equatorial Guinea | 2024 | |
Gabon | 2024 | |
Gambia | Q2 2024 | |
Ghana | Q3 2024 | |
Guinea | 2024 | |
Guinea-Bissau | 2024 | |
Ivory Coast | 2024 | |
Kenya | Available | |
Lesotho | Q2 2024 | |
Liberia | 2024 | |
Libya | No planned launch date | |
Madagascar | Q2 2024 | |
Malawi | Available | |
Mali | No planned launch date | |
Mauritania | 2024 | |
Mauritius | 2024 | |
Mozambique | Available | |
Morocco | 2024 | |
Namibia | 2024 | |
Nigeria | Available | |
Niger | 2024 | |
Republic of Congo | 2024 | |
Rwanda | Available | |
São Tomé and Príncipe | 2024 | |
Senegal | 2024 | |
Seychelles | 2024 | |
Sierra Leone | 2024 | |
South Africa | No planned launch date | |
South Sudan | No planned launch date | |
Somalia | No planned launch date | |
Sudan | No planned launch date | |
Tanzania | Q2 2024 | |
Togo | Q3 2023 | |
Tunisia | 2024 | |
Uganda | 2024 | |
Western Sahara | 2024 | |
Zambia | Available | |
Zimbabwe | Q2 2024 |