Musk's Starlink gets Chad go-ahead to improve internet access

N'DJAMENA (Reuters) - Chad said on Tuesday it had approved the licensing of Elon Musk's satellite internet provider Starlink to improve access to internet services in the central African country.

Starlink, the satellite unit of SpaceX, operates in several African countries but has faced regulatory challenges in others and resistance from state telecoms monopolies.

"We have been talking to Starlink since 2021 and we have managed to agree on the essentials," Chad's Communications Minister Boukar Michel told Reuters by telephone.

The latest World Bank figures show that only 12% of Chad's population had access to internet in 2022.

"A large part of our territory is not covered by fibre optics, and I believe that Starlink will help us bridge this gap," Michel said, adding that better internet access will allow Chad to digitalize public services in remote areas and boost the development of tech start-ups.

"Starlink now available in Chad!" Musk posted on X on Monday. The internet provider operates in several African countries including Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Mozambique, Malawi, Madagascar, Benin, South Sudan, Eswatini and Sierra Leone.

Earlier this year, Cameroon ordered the seizure of Starlink equipment at ports as it was not licensed.

Meanwhile, Kenya's biggest telecoms firm Safaricom has urged regulators to consider requiring satellite internet providers such as Starlink to partner with local mobile network operators.

(Reporting by Mahamat Ramadane; Writing by Sofia Christensen; Editing by Alexander Smith)

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