Somalian officials confirmed that Starlink representatives have met with Somalia’s National Communications Authority to become a licenced operator in the country.
Starlink officials met with the head of NCA and other state representatives per Horn Media this week.
Per Mustafa Yasin ‘Sheikh, head of the NCA:
First, Starlink must meet the required licensing requirements and go through the agency’s licensing process. The agency will evaluate Starlink’s bid and the service plan they want to implement in the country.
Starlink did not confirm the meeting or the plan for submitting a bid or timeline for the service to come online.
Currently, Somalia relies mainly on undersea fibre optic cables for internet services. However, those are not without disruptions from shipping and other issues. While for remote communities, many are without connections due to the expense of running land-based lines to mountainous and in-land regions.
The hope for the NCA is that Starlink could provide the nation with a stable and more robust internet service.
Currently, Starlink is active in multiple African countries including Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique and Egypt, with more nations coming online in the near future.
