Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni announced yesterday that he had a “productive meeting” with representatives from Elon Musk’s satellite internet company, Starlink, which is seeking to establish operations in Uganda.
Starlink, a unit of SpaceX, has reportedly submitted a license application to the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC). The company is aggressively expanding its footprint across Africa and is already operational in more than a dozen countries. Just this month, Starlink secured operating licenses in Somalia and Lesotho.
“I had a productive meeting with Starlink representatives, Ben MacWilliams and Brandi Oliver, brought to me by Ambassador Adonia and Ambassador Popp,” President Museveni shared on X (formerly Twitter). “I appreciate their commitment to providing low-cost internet in hard-to-reach areas and establishing a presence in Uganda. They are welcome.”
Ugandan internet users have frequently raised concerns about the high cost and unreliability of local internet services, issues often attributed to limited competition in the sector. It remains unclear whether Starlink has formally received operational approval.
Currently, Uganda’s data market is dominated by a unit of South African telecom giant MTN Group, with India’s Bharti Airtel serving as its main competitor.
