President Yoweri Museveni announced Friday that Uganda has approved a license allowing Elon Musk’s satellite internet company Starlink to begin operations in the East African nation.
The satellite internet service, which is part of SpaceX, has been quickly growing its presence throughout Africa and currently provides service in more than a dozen African nations, including Somalia.
In a post on X, Museveni explained that he oversaw the signing of an “operational licence agreement between the Uganda Communications Commission and Starlink, marking an important step towards the commencement of their operations in Uganda.”
The Uganda Communications Commission serves as the nation’s regulatory body for the communications industry.
“I am pleased that Starlink has agreed to comply with Uganda’s laws and regulatory requirements as it prepares to begin service delivery in the country,” Museveni stated.
Citizens in Uganda have frequently voiced frustration over expensive and unreliable internet service from domestic providers, with many pointing to insufficient market competition as the cause.
Currently, a unit of South African telecom giant MTN Group controls most of Uganda’s data market, with its primary competitor being a unit of India’s Bharti Airtel.
