Elon Musk’s Starlink internet terminals have sold out in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, less than two months after the service received the green light to operate in the country.
The Southern African nation now joins Nigeria as the only two African countries where Starlink terminals have completely sold out, signalling overwhelming demand for the high-speed satellite internet service.
According to Starlink’s website, Harare’s sell-out status mirrors that of five major Nigerian cities—Abuja, Kano, Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Warri—where consumers can no longer place new orders for terminals as the service is listed as “unavailable in the area.”
The surge in demand for Starlink in Zimbabwe has been rapid since the SpaceX-owned company secured an operating permit in early September. Consumers have flocked to order the terminals directly from Starlink’s website, avoiding the previous need to purchase through a thriving street market, where resellers had driven up prices. As a result, this secondary market has collapsed.
The introduction of Starlink has also spurred fierce competition among local internet service providers (ISPs), who are now slashing their prices in an effort to retain customers and stave off the impact of the U.S. company’s entry into the market.
Starlink, which currently serves over 2.6 million users globally, offers broadband internet delivered from a network of 5,500 satellites launched by SpaceX since 2019. The service provides a reliable solution for areas with limited or unreliable internet infrastructure, and its expansion in Zimbabwe signals a new era for internet access in the country.
Although Starlink is already transforming internet access in Zimbabwe and Nigeria, it has yet to launch in neighbouring South Africa. However, discussions between Starlink representatives and South Africa’s communications minister, Solly Malatsi, suggest that the service could be introduced there in the near future.
For now, the unprecedented demand in Zimbabwe highlights the country’s enthusiasm for better internet connectivity, setting the stage for potential future expansions across the African continent.
