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Several local companies have obtained government approvals to work as Starlink’s local resellers, but the company’s website shows it is doing direct sales to customers who must pay USD 23 for shipping.
SpaceX’s broadband satellite internet service, Starlink, is now available in Zimbabwe for USD 50 a month, plus USD 350 for a setup kit, the company said on its website.
Several local companies have obtained government approvals to work as Starlink’s local resellers, but the company’s website shows it is doing direct sales to customers who must pay USD 23 for shipping.
Customers who opt for the Starlink Mini, ideal for basic internet use and smaller households but with a cap of 100 Mbps compared to the standard package with speeds of up to 200 Mbps, will pay US$200 for the setup kit and a monthly subscription of USD 30. The system, which brings connectivity where there is no land-based network, is seen as a game changer in Zimbabwe where data prices are high and rural communities are unserved.
Zimbabwe’s telecom regulator POTRAZ approved the licensing of Elon Musk’s Starlink in May, with President Emmerson Mnangagwa saying the service would “result in the deployment of high speed, low cost, low-earth-orbit internet infrastructure throughout Zimbabwe and particularly in all the rural areas.
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A World Bank report in 2021 said only 34.8 percent of Zimbabwe’s population had access to the internet. The country’s internet service is dominated by three major mobile network operators – Econet, NetOne, and Telecel. Starlink made its African debut in January 2023, with Nigeria as its first launch site. The service is now available in 14 African countries, including Zimbabwe’s neighbors Eswatini, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique.
