Elon Musk hosts African leaders while Starlink faces challenges in Kenya

Elon Musk's Starlink satellite Internet service is making waves across Africa, particularly in Kenya and Burundi, as it navigates regulatory challenges and competitive dynamics with local telecom giants.

The South African-born billionaire recently also engaged with various African leaders to discuss technological advancements and partnerships while the leaders were attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Musk met with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Lesotho Prime Minister Same Matekane and Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba.

"I had the pleasure of meeting with Elon Musk to discuss advancing connectivity in Lesotho. We are committed to exploring innovative solutions to improve Internet access and bridge the digital divide for our people. Exciting developments lie ahead," said Matekane on a post on X.

Musk's meeting with Ramaphosa comes after the president told journalists that he would be having more talks with the billionaire earlier this month.

Ramaphosa shared the details of his recent meeting in an interview with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).

"Meeting Elon Musk was a clear intention of mine because I had spoken to him on the phone, and when I came to New York, I said I would like to meet him. It is a full process, some people call it bromance, so it's a whole process of rekindling his affection and connection with South Africa," the South African president said in the interview.

Mbumba said on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly, he held a meeting with Musk to discuss investment opportunities in Namibia's technology sector.

"I encouraged Elon to assist our efforts to bridge the digital gap," Mbumba said in a post on X.

Starlink expands into Burundi, experiences pitfalls in Kenya

Meanwhile, Starlink officially launched its services in Burundi, marking a significant milestone for the country.

In a post on X, Starlink announced that its high-speed, low-latency Internet service was now fully operational in Burundi.

The announcement follows a presidential decree issued in May 2024, which granted the satellite-based Internet provider an operating license.

The Telecommunications Regulation and Control Agency (ARCT) of Burundi will oversee the implementation of the decree under the direction of its Director General.

Aside Burundi, Starlink is also active in Botswana, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Benin, Nigeria, Rwanda, Malawi, Mozambique as well as Zambia, Kenya, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Eswatini.

Unlike Musk's company making headway in different parts of the continent, Starlink has faced difficulties in Kenya.

Even though Starlink has grown tremendously since its launch in July 2023, in the East African country, local players have opposed how the company has been doing business.

Even though Starlink has been making headway in other African countries, it has faced challenges in Kenya. (Source: Starlink).

In August 2024, Safaricom's broadband services, expressed its concerns to Kenya's communications regulator, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) citing that it needed to exercise caution while granting independent licenses to satellite Internet service providers.

That call came after Starlink rolled out competitive pricing options and plans, enabling Kenyans to rent its equipment instead of buying the entire package.

Although the CA maintained that Safaricom was entitled to propose market entry conditions, this action faced criticism from industry experts who accused Safaricom of trying to hinder Starlink operations in the country.

Safaricom has also recently upgraded its fiber speeds up to five times and introduced a 1 Gbit/s package.

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— Matshepo Sehloho, Associate Editor, Connecting Africa