Airtel Africa announced that it has signed a deal with SpaceX to launch Starlink’s Direct to Cell (D2C) LEO satellite service across all of its 14 markets across the continent sometime next year.
In a statement, Airtel Africa said the service will initially support SMS and select text-messaging apps. The group also noted that launches in each market will be subject to local regulatory approval.
Under an earlier agreement with SpaceX in May, Airtel Africa currently offers Starlink’s internet services in nine of its 14 markets where Starlink has regulatory clearance to operate: Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, Rwanda, Niger, Chad, Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
That deal also covers Airtel’s other five African markets (Tanzania, Uganda, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo and the Seychelles) where Starlink has applied for licences.
Airtel Africa MD and CEO Sunil Taldar said in a statement that the D2C offering will establish a new standard for service availability across all its markets.
“Starlink’s Direct-to-Cell technology complements the terrestrial infrastructure and even reaches areas where deploying terrestrial network solutions are challenging,” he said.
The deal also marks another win for Starlink, who has launched its D2C service in a handful of markets this year, including the US, New Zealand and – as of last month – Ukraine via a deal with Veon-owned telco Kyivstar.
Earlier this week, Veon’s Beeline Kazakhstan confirmed it has completed its D2C field test ahead of a planned commercial service launch in the country next year.
