Vodacom to integrate with Starlink for high-speed business internet

Anabelle Colaco
14 Nov 2025, 18:50 GMT+10

South Africa’s largest mobile operator, Vodacom Group, has signed a deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband internet for businesses across Africa
Even with a customer base of more than 223 million, Vodacom continues to face challenges in rural Africa, where sparse populations, rugged terrain, and low smartphone penetration make it expensive to build traditional cell towers
Majority-owned by Britain’s Vodafone, Vodacom has been working to close Africa’s connectivity gaps by using low-Earth orbit satellite technology to deliver internet access to remote or hard-to-reach areas

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa: South Africa's largest mobile operator, Vodacom Group, has signed a deal with Elon Musk's Starlink to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband internet for businesses across Africa, the company said on November 12.

Even with a customer base of more than 223 million, Vodacom continues to face challenges in rural Africa, where sparse populations, rugged terrain, and low smartphone penetration make it expensive to build traditional cell towers.

Majority-owned by Britain's Vodafone, Vodacom has been working to close Africa's connectivity gaps by using low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite technology to deliver internet access to remote or hard-to-reach areas.

Under the agreement, Vodacom will integrate Starlink's satellite network into its mobile infrastructure and will also be licensed to resell Starlink equipment and services to customers across the continent.

"We continue to work with multiple satellite providers, including Starlink, where it has been licensed, as well as AST SpaceMobile and Amazon's Kuiper," CEO Shameel Joosub told Reuters after the company's interim results this week.

Vodacom's main rival, MTN Group, is also pursuing satellite partnerships, while its parent company, Vodafone, has already teamed up with Amazon's Project Kuiper and AST SpaceMobile.

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Nigeria Sun.

More Information

International

Section

BBC admits ‘error of judgment’ after Trump’s $1 billion legal threat

LONDON/NEW YORK CITY: U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to sue the BBC over its editing of a 2021 speech he gave on the day...

Blast outside Delhi’s Red Fort kills 9, sparks nationwide alert

NEW DELHI, India: An explosion in a car near Delhi's historic Red Fort on November 10 killed nine people and injured at least 20 others,...

Trump grants pardons to Giuliani, others in 2020 election probe

WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump has granted pardons to Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and several other allies accused of trying...

Smog crisis grips Delhi as residents demand clean air action

NEW DELHI, India: A dense grey haze blanketed New Delhi on November 10, choking the city's skyline and sending pollution levels soaring...

Saudi Crown Prince to visit White House amid doubts on Israel ties

DUBAI, U.A.E.: U.S. President Donald Trump has been promoting the idea of Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel, but such...

Top BBC executives resign amid uproar over edited Trump TV clip

LONDON, U.K.: The BBC's top two executives — Director-General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness — resigned on November 9 amid...

Africa

Section