Schools are among Rwandan institutions given priority to benefit from the satellite-based internet soon to be provided by billionaire Elon Musk’s high-speed satellite internet venture, Starlink, the Minister of ICT and Innovation, Paula Ingabire recently said, indicating that the initial plan is to pilot it in at least 500 schools.
Starlink’s service is scheduled to be up and running in Rwanda by February 22, according to Minister of ICT and Innovation, Paula Ingabire.
“Starlink is finalizing the process of onboarding [bringing on board] a local partner through whom registration for Starlink services will be made. It is a platform through which users can register and pay for the service,” Ingabire said on Monday, February 13.
The regulator, Rwanda Space Agency (RSA) recently announced it had approved the registration of Starlink Internet Services, paving the way for the firm to start offering internet access services to the local market. Starlink is a satellite network developed by American spacecraft company SpaceX, to provide ‘low-cost’ internet to remote locations.
Starlink’s service comes at a time when the government is also working to connect about 3,000 schools that are not connected to the internet by 2024 through financing from China Exim Bank and the World Bank.
Nigeria has become the first country in Africa to see a commercial launch of satellite broadband services by Starlink, the satellite internet business of SpaceX followed. After Rwanda launch, Starlink Internet will be set to open in Kenya in Q3,2023.
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