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The Rise of Starlink in Zimbabwe: Growth and Opportunities
Starlink officially launched in Zimbabwe on 7 September 2024. This occurred after months of back and forth exchanges with the government to secure a license. Frampol, Aura and Dandemutande got retailer dealership while Shona Prince Technologies got a reseller dealership. Before the launch, some Zimbabweans utilized Starlink’s international roaming packages. This allowed them to buy kits from licensed countries. They activated the imported kits on roaming packages, which created a loophole for accessing the service in Zimbabwe. This was frowned upon by authorities who clamped this with a ban on this practice. The official launch of this service removed the ban and was met with huge appreciation from the entire nation.
The launch of Starlink in Zimbabwe was viewed by incumbent ISPs as a threat. This led to a downward adjustment of internet packages by incumbents to stay competitive in the fast changing landscape. Many Zimbabweans instantly switched to Starlink. Social media in the country was awash with praises for Starlink’s fast speeds. People also praised its unlimited downloads. Harare and Bulawayo quickly used up their capacity. Today, Harare is still out of capacity. Bulawayo’s capacity was added, but now it attracts an activation fee of $250 on every new subscription. This has not stopped the adoption of the service.
In numbers, Zimbabwe’s Starlink subscription numbers grew 30,907 by Q1 2025, a 32.02% increase from the 23,410 subscribers in Q4 2024. This growth follows an early surge that saw VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) subscriptions, including Starlink, jump 513.79% from 3,814 in Q3 2024 to 23,410 in Q4.
Key Figures:
- Q3 2024: 3,814 VSAT subscriptions
- Q4 2024: 23,410 VSAT subscriptions (a 513.79% increase)
- Q1 2025: 30,907 VSAT subscriptions (a further 32.02% increase)
This rapid growth indicates strong demand for Starlink’s satellite internet service, which is classified under VSAT subscriptions by Zimbabwe’s Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (POTRAZ).
This adoption translates to a lot of different things for the nations’ population. A new product line was opened up for handy-men who now offer Starlink installation services for clients who want to setup the services at their premises. Unemployed youth have also started setting up Starlink terminals in public places and selling day access to internet for a $1 creating a much needed revenue stream in an economy with a 90% unemployment rate. More tech savy individuals have set up more robust installations in entire shopping malls and apartment buildings cashing in on the insatiable thirst to connect to the global village. Smaller Stalink dealerships are also buying kits for resell in under serviced areas and making a profit on the discounts they get from retailers and resellers.
In terms of connectivity, the advent of Starlink has introduced an opportunity for service providers to add a layer internet on their service offerings as a value added service to attract customers and be more competetive in their respective industries. Chicken Inn, a fast-food chain has put free wifi services in their outlets coupled with a customer-survey to get feedback on service provision. Many intercity bus services now offer onboard wifi to their customers and most customers prefer buses with this service as it allows them to stay connected on the go. A taxi-on-demand service, Tap and Go, has retrofitted Starlink Mini kits to their entire fleet using magnetic car mounts allowing passengers to access the internet between rides. The internet access ensures their drivers also stay online to get real time updates on ride requests overally improving the service experience.
The government has been rolling out connectivity solutions to the under served schools and clinics in remote areas traditionally left out by ISPs because of low returns on investment if the conventional infrastructure was deployed. Services like telehealth and online learning, which were seemingly far fetched a year ago have started to become a reality. The agriculture sector has also immensely benefitted from Starlink by enabling farmer to setup IoT and remote monitoring systems in the remote farms enabling optimization and taking preventetive measures for livestock and crop loses boosting revenues. The advent of Starlink has really had an effect in many industry verticals but more potential is yet to be unlocked as the technology becomes mainstream.
As Zimbabweans look into the future with internet access enabled by Starlink, a lot of ideas buzz in the mind of entrepreneurs and businesses who seek to milk every opportunity presented by the affordable and flexible internet from Starlink. Zimbabwe is yet to get a community gateway, this is a Starlink ground station, with advocates like Willard Shoko continously lobbying government to facilitate the installation of one to improve the service delivery. Harare is still out of capacity proving that the service demand is currently insatiable even in urban areas where ISPs providing alternatives exist leaving people to resort to roaming packages which are more expensive. The future looks bright for Starlink in Zimbawe and Africa, at large, as it brings in much need internet access to an industry that has been left largely to local companies whose pricing had left many without access.
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there is a way to go around the 250 activation fee in Bulawayo . Also its better to just buy a Gen 3. You avoid the activation fee and you get a service credit of 290 which then means you have effectively purchased the kit for less than the cost of a mini.