Uganda granted an operating license to Starlink, the satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk, allowing the company to begin operations in the East African nation.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni announced the decision in a post published Friday on the social media platform X, describing the move as a significant step toward expanding internet connectivity across the country.
Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, has been rapidly expanding across Africa and is already operational in more than a dozen countries on the continent as demand grows for high-speed satellite-based internet services in underserved markets.
Museveni said he oversaw the signing of an “operating license agreement between the Uganda Communications Commission and Starlink,” referring to the country’s telecommunications regulator. He added that the company had agreed to comply fully with Uganda’s legal and regulatory requirements ahead of launching services locally.
“I am pleased that Starlink has agreed to comply with Ugandan laws and regulatory requirements as it prepares to begin offering services in the country,” Museveni said.
Consumers in Uganda have long voiced concerns over the high cost and inconsistent quality of local internet services, a situation analysts often attribute to limited competition in the telecommunications sector.
The Ugandan data market is currently dominated by a subsidiary of MTN Group, which primarily competes with a local unit of Bharti Airtel.
The entry of Starlink is expected to intensify competition in the sector while potentially improving internet accessibility and reliability, particularly in remote and underserved regions of the country.
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