“ This is the fastest internet I have experienced since I was born! » Bona Bol Chadar, a student of information and communication technologies at the University of Juba, capital of South Sudan, does not hide his enthusiasm for Starlink, the satellite Internet access provider of the company SpaceX. Officially accessible in the country since August 22, the technology based on the use of satellites located in low Earth orbit, an innovation by billionaire Elon Musk, had already discreetly entered South Sudanese territory for more than a year. The terminals had been smuggled from neighboring Kenya, where Starlink began operating in July 2023.
Its formal authorization by the Juba authorities and the first user testimonies published on social networks arouse the enthusiasm of Internet users, who suffer from the high cost of connectivity: South Sudan becomes, according to the statistics portal Statista, in the second place of most expensive mobile Internet in the world. the African continent.
The arrival of Starlink is even more anticipated because, in mid-October, South Sudan’s three mobile network operators further increased mobile Internet prices: Zain, MTN and the South Sudanese company Digitel. With 1,300 terminals in use to date in a territory of 10.5 million inhabitants, Starlink is still in its infancy, but many Internet users, protesting against the “hold » operators, have promised to turn to newcomers as soon as possible.
Connection three times cheaper
If many see it as a ” revolution ” As for South Sudan, many questions still remain. As offers from self-proclaimed Starlink resellers proliferate, at prices up to three times those posted on the company’s site, some ” confusion “ reigns in the eyes of Marina Modi, information verification specialist. Very attracted by the prospect of a broadband connection three times cheaper than their monthly plan. “very slow”It says to wait a little longer before placing an order.
“How to acquire this equipment seems as complicated as importing a car! » she laments. Delivery is only made three to four weeks after the order, then a “letter of no objection” It must be obtained from the National Communications Authority (NCA), South Sudan’s regulator, to finally be able to collect your package and use the equipment.
With an official price for the general public of 200 or 389 dollars (184 or 358 euros) depending on the type of antenna chosen, to which is added a monthly subscription of 30 or 50 dollars, the service is not available to everyone… Above all because only 3% of South Sudanese have a bank account and only 1% have a credit card, necessary to request the service. So many obstacles to Starlink’s growth “On a large scale, like in the United States or even Kenya, where, unlike South Sudan, financial inclusion and digital culture are high.”says Nelson Kwaje, communications technology specialist and founder of the Scenius Hub, a space open to young people in the capital of South Sudan.
Becoming independent in 2011 after decades of war and before sinking into internal conflict between 2013 and 2018, “South Sudan is a perfect place for Starlink, since 99% of the country is not connected to fiber”estimates Napoleon Adok Gai, director general of the NCA. Only the capital, Juba, has been connected since 2019 to the cable laid along the highway from Uganda. In Adok Gai’s office, a map shows the telecommunications antennas installed in the national territory, the only infrastructures that allow the public to access the Internet. Completely empty areas appear, especially in the eastern half of the country.
Delicate balancing act
By authorizing Starlink to operate in South Sudan, Napoleon Adok Gai’s intention is“encourage, through market competition, mobile network operators and Internet service providers to fight to lower their prices” and develop connectivity in remote areas. But it is a delicate balancing act for the regulator, while the telecoms market is entirely dependent on the private sector, due to lack of government investment. Allowing the arrival of Starlink, the first broadband offer at a monthly price that is not measured in thousands of dollars, calls into question the dominance of traditional operators.
“Starlink is a threat to our business, but we hope to incorporate it into our offering”explains Moses Kimani Mbugua, representative of the company Iptec, one of the largest Internet access providers for companies in South Sudan. “The support we provide to our clients is what keeps them with us, adds his partner David Maingi Musila. Starlink is affordable, sure, but there’s no one to immediately help you when your computer won’t connect. »
The same type of argument was made by Ali Monzer, CEO of the South African company MTN in South Sudan, during a public event at the Scenius Hub on October 24. While the company employs according to him “40,000 people, directly or indirectly” in the country, and has six million customers with MTN SIM cards, of which 600,000 are users of the MoMo electronic payment service, does not hesitate to say: “ Between Starlink and MTN, who needs who? Starlink does not have a distribution network. I want to partner with Starlink to sell their service to businesses. » A perspective rejected for the moment by the NCA, which to date has only approved, in collaboration with Starlink, four official resellers.
“Let’s be honest, Starlink is not affordable for ordinary people”judge Yine Yenki, founder in 2015 of the Go Girls ICT initiative to promote access to science and new technologies for young people and girls. The activist is considering purchasing a Starlink kit to facilitate her tutoring sessions in around twenty schools in Juba, where there is generally no Internet or electricity. But “There is an urgent need to invest in the telecommunications infrastructure of this country”he said, pinning his hopes on the project funded with $67 million by the World Bank. By 2028, its goal is to build some 2,400 kilometers of fiber optics in South Sudan.
