BY D KASULE: Uganda has launched a satellite-to-mobile service aimed at providing smartphone internet connectivity in areas without mobile phone towers, as the country continues to grapple with the challenge of extending internet access to its most remote locations.
The service, dubbed Airtel Starlink, is the result of a partnership between Airtel Uganda and Starlink. It uses SpaceX technology to connect ordinary smartphones directly to satellites, automatically activating when users move beyond the reach of terrestrial mobile networks.
Speaking at the launch, ICT Minister Justine Kasule Lumumba said the service supports the government’s goal of building a digitally enabled society and achieving nationwide geographical coverage. She said the technology would also boost tourism, which has long faced connectivity challenges, while benefiting people living on islands, lakeshores and mountainous areas. “You have really solved the challenge of last-mile connection we have been having as a ministry,” Lumumba said. “We have had that discussion for long, so you have brought in technology that is solving that.”
She also commended the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) for choosing to engage with operators and learn alongside them rather than block emerging technologies, adding that the service could also support security operations. UCC Executive Director Nyombi Thembo said the launch had been delayed partly by regulatory hurdles.
“Sahu first approached the commission around November last year, but Starlink had not yet been licensed in Uganda,” he said. “There was no way an unlicensed operator would carry a licensed operator.” According to Thembo, the commission later licensed Starlink to provide satellite communication services, allowing it to enter infrastructure-sharing arrangements with other licensed operators.
“Earlier this year, Airtel requested a pilot in game parks, which was successful,” he said. “About three weeks before the launch, Airtel told us they were ready to go live, and here we are.” Thembo said UCC had imposed “very tight” reporting requirements on Airtel to enable both parties to learn from the rollout and address any challenges, urging the company to comply.
He added that mobile operators are required under their licences to cover at least 90 per cent of Uganda’s geographical area, including islands, mountains and forests. The obligations, he said, are technology-neutral, making satellite connectivity a welcome tool if it helps operators meet their coverage targets.
Recalling that schools received very small-aperture terminal (VSAT) connections of 256 kilobits per second about 15 years ago, Thembo said even limited internet access was better than none. Airtel Uganda Managing Director Soumendra Sahu said the service extends connectivity beyond the limits of ground-based networks. “Where the terrestrial network stops, where your mobile phone reads ‘no service’ or ‘emergency calls only’, that’s when the satellite-to-mobile service kicks in,” he said.
Sahu said customers must first opt in through the MyAirtel app by selecting and accepting the Airtel Starlink option. They must also enable data roaming on their smartphones, after which the connection activates automatically when they move out of terrestrial network coverage.
He explained that phones would not connect to the satellite network as long as they could detect a terrestrial signal, even if it was weak or intermittent. The satellite network, he said, only takes over when users move completely beyond Airtel’s tower coverage. Where a tower signal is available, phones remain connected to the terrestrial network, which offers a fuller range of services.
The service is available only on smartphones and comes with a free 30-day trial. After the trial, customers will not pay an additional subscription fee but must maintain a data bundle worth at least Sh2,000 to continue using it. The initial phase offers what Sahu described as “light internet”, supporting WhatsApp text messaging, standard SMS, the MyAirtel app and basic browsing services such as Google Maps.
SMS support also allows users to receive one-time passwords, enabling them to complete Airtel Money transactions even in remote areas. However, the service will not initially support high-bandwidth content such as high-resolution videos, while voice calls are also excluded due to satellite capacity limitations.
Sahu said a second phase, expected in about a year, would introduce more comprehensive services. He emphasised that the satellite service was not intended to replace the construction of mobile towers but to complement existing infrastructure by filling coverage gaps in areas where building towers is commercially or physically impractical.