Starlink resumes in several African cities after months-long pause
This comes after a seven-month suspension imposed in October 2024 to ease severe network congestion resulting from overwhelming demand.
Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by SpaceX, has reopened new customer subscriptions in several high-demand African cities after a pause that lasted over seven months. Users across Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia, Ghana and Zimbabwe have reported renewed access to the service's sign-up portal, indicating that Starlink is gradually lifting its restrictions on residential orders in previously congested urban areas.
Cities now seeing open registration include Nairobi and its outskirts, Lusaka, Kano, Port Harcourt, Warri, Accra and various parts of Zimbabwe. However, some major urban centressuch as Harare, Lagos and Abujaremain under access restrictions due to ongoing bandwidth limitations.
The suspension of new sign-ups in November 2024 was prompted by overwhelming demand that exceeded the networks capacity in multiple African metros. At the time, Starlink issued a notice stating that the system was saturated and unable to accommodate additional users, affecting cities like Nairobi, Kiambu, Lusaka, Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, Warri and Accra.
While Starlink has not officially confirmed the resumption, the removal of the sold-out notification on its website for several cities suggests backend infrastructure improvements have been made to alleviate congestion and expand capacity. The company now appears to be cautiously rolling out access in areas where the network can accommodate new users.
The reopening marks a significant step in Starlinks evolving presence in Africa, as it seeks to meet the continents growing demand for reliable, high-speed internet. Although capacity challenges remain in certain key cities, the partial resumption of service signals progress in addressing network strain and reaffirms Starlinks role in expanding digital connectivity across the region.
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