Vodacom has announced a major new partnership with SpaceX’s Starlink starlink that will bring high-speed, low-latency internet to businesses across more than two dozen African countries, a move that could dramatically accelerate broadband expansion in remote regions of the continent.
The deal, announced this week, will see Vodacom integrate Starlink’s LEO satellite backhaul into its existing mobile infrastructure. By routing data through Starlink’s network, Vodacom says it can expand coverage faster, improve performance in underserved areas, and offer “unbreakable” connectivity options for enterprise customers.
The company will also be authorized to resell Starlink hardware and service packages to business clients across Africa.
Vodacom may serve more than 223 million customers, but large portions of rural Africa remain chronically underserved due to sparse populations and rugged geography that make traditional tower deployments expensive and inefficient. LEO satellites offer a workaround — delivering broadband to places that fibre and wireless towers haven’t reached.
“Starlink is already serving people, businesses, and organizations in 25 African countries,” said SpaceX vice president Chad Gibbs. “By collaborating with Vodacom, Starlink can deliver reliable, high-speed connectivity to even more customers.”
But there’s one notable omission from the rollout: South Africa.
Despite Vodacom being headquartered in Johannesburg, the Starlink deal does not apply to its home market. Starlink currently cannot operate inside South Africa due to local regulations that require 30% Black ownership for telecom licence holders — a rule Musk previously criticized as “racist ownership laws.”
That may change soon however. Communications minister Solly Malatsi recently confirmed the government is reviewing thousands of public submissions as it explores alternatives that would allow companies like Starlink to comply through community-investment programs rather than equity ownership. If approved, the shift could finally open the door for Starlink’s entry into South Africa.
