BROADBAND
INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGY
Vodacom Group and Starlink forge ahead to transform connectivity across Africa
Vodacom Group has announced a strategic agreement with Starlink, the world’ s largest satellite broadband provider, to deliver highspeed, low-latency broadband Internet to businesses across Africa and to expand rural network coverage.
The collaboration is designed to accelerate efforts to bridge the digital divide by extending reliable connectivity to areas where traditional infrastructure is limited or unavailable. By integrating Starlink’ s satellite backhaul into Vodacom’ s mobile network, the partnership aims to improve network performance and expand coverage in remote and underserved regions.
The initiative will support connectivity for schools, health centres and rural communities, while also enabling Vodacom to resell Starlink equipment and services to enterprise and small business customers. Vodacom will retain flexibility to develop localised offerings aligned with the affordability and operational requirements of African markets.
The agreement also strengthens Vodacom’ s enterprise portfolio, supporting industries such as mining, oil and gas, agriculture, tourism, retail and financial services. These offerings combine terrestrial and space-based technologies, including backup Internet services, branch network pooling and device-as-a-service models.
The partnership aligns with Vodacom’ s Vision 2030 strategy to expand its customer base to 260 million and grow financial services customers to 120 million within five years, supporting progress towards broader digital inclusion.
Vodacom Group Chief Executive Officer Shameel Joosub, said:“ We are delighted to collaborate with Starlink, a move that accelerates our mission to connect every African to the Internet. Low
Low Earth orbit satellite technology will help bridge the digital divide where traditional infrastructure is not feasible.
Earth orbit satellite technology will help bridge the digital divide where traditional infrastructure is not feasible, and this partnership will unlock new possibilities for the unconnected.”
Chad Gibbs, Vice President of Starlink Operations at SpaceX, added:“ Starlink is already serving people, businesses and organisations in 25 African countries. By collaborating with Vodacom, Starlink can deliver reliable, high-speed connectivity to even more customers, transforming lives and communities across the continent.” • www. intelligentcio. com
INTELLIGENT CIO AFRICA
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