Starlink: Rwanda to pilot Elon Musk’s satellite internet service in public schools

Starlink, the satellite internet firm owned by tech titan Elon Musk, is entering Rwanda, just weeks after it began rolling out in Nigeria.

The internet provider is lined up for launch in a number of African states such as Kenya and Mozambique to take on local telcos with its promise of delivering speeds of over 150Mbps.

Following an announcement by the Rwanda Space Agency (RSA) in early February that it had licensed Starlink to operate in the country, the Rwandan government has said public schools will be given top priority during the roll-out.

According to the country’s Minister of ICT and Innovation, Paula Ingabire, the initial plan is to pilot it in at least 500 schools by February 22.

“Among the services we are undertaking, which we agreed upon with Starlink last year (2022), we are going to start with at least 500 schools so that at least such internet will be tested, and distributed there,” Rwandan newspaper The New Times on Monday quoted Ingabire as telling lawmakers during a plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies.

Per Starlink’s operating licence, the internet broadband system’s operations were due to begin in Rwanda in the first quarter of 2023, by the end of March.

The company’s introduction comes at a time local internet providers in Africa are still struggling to grow 5G coverage, which delivers speeds of up to 100Mbps.

In Kenya for instance, telco giant Safaricom started rolling out 5G last year but the coverage is still scarce and few people have 5G routers.

In Rwanda’s case, the ICT minister says the capacity offered by Starlink will be affordable for larger entities such as health facilities, marketplaces, schools or public institutions.

Starlink’s kit comes in three trim levels; Standard for “residential users and everyday internet applications” like streaming, video calls and online gaming.

The second option, which Rwanda might opt for its schools, is the High-Performance version, which targets “power user, business, and enterprise applications”.

On its website, Starlink says this kit allows better speeds at high temperatures, can connect to more satellites, and is more resilient to extreme environments.

The most sophisticated of them all, the Flat High-Performance kit, targets “mobility applications and challenging environments”.

A Starlink link costs Ksh.74,216 ($599), and interested buyers can already pre-order and deposit a fully refundable deposit of Ksh.12,260 ($99) to reserve a kit.

The monthly cost of the standard kit has been $110 for customers in the United States, which is about Ksh.14,000.