This week my Five Minutes of Fame segment I will revisit an issue that I have briefly addressed last week, see here. As anticipated, the topic generated considerable discussion within the Somali tech community, both abroad and in Somalia—precisely the kind of engagement I had hoped for, see Starlink Vs Somali Internet Companies below. I extend my sincerest apologies to my dear friends whose command of the Somali language is - how shall we say - still under construction. For those valiantly struggling to decipher the comment in my video clip, may the benevolent powers of Artificial Intelligence come swiftly to your aid. Rest assured, I am diligently exploring technical solutions to this minor yet persistent linguistic inconvenience; because subtitles, apparently, are too mainstream.
I will start with the thesis that many who expect that the arrival of Starlink as the dawn of a new digital era in Somalia may want to keep their expectations on airplane mode. This post investigates the actual availability - and more importantly, the practical implications - of Starlink’s satellite internet services in Somalia. Far from being a digital panacea, Starlink’s entry raises compelling questions about the realities of digital inclusion, infrastructural readiness, and economic resilience. Set against the backdrop of Somalia’s labyrinthine telecommunications ecosystem, this analysis unpacks not only the promise of orbital connectivity but also the very terrestrial obstacles posed by regulatory uncertainty and the occasional geopolitical turbulence. Elon Musk (South Africa born and American entrepreneur) may beam the internet from space, but Somalia’s digital bottlenecks remain firmly grounded. It is also useful keep in mind on what he did in and to Ukraine and South Africa respectively.
Starlink 101 - In recent years, the promise of satellite-based internet connectivity has captured the attention of policymakers, technologists, and development actors across the Global South. Among the most ambitious of these initiatives is Starlink, the low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite internet constellation developed by SpaceX. Starlink seeks to deliver high-speed, low-latency internet to underserved and remote regions globally. Its arrival in Somalia—a country grappling with persistent insecurity, institutional fragility, and infrastructural deficits—raises compelling questions about the role of frontier technologies in contexts of post-conflict development and fragile statehood.
Starlink’s Availability in Somalia - As of early 2025, Starlink has officially expanded coverage to Somalia, according to publicly available service maps and regional sales data. Users within the country can now order Starlink kits, which include a satellite dish, a router, and the necessary cabling. The equipment is self-installable and requires access to an unobstructed view of the sky. From my experience one can expect download speeds ranging between 50 Mbps and 150 Mbps, with latency rates competitive with terrestrial fiber—an unprecedented development in many parts of rural and peri-urban Somalia.
However, Starlink’s rollout is not without complexities. Somalia’s government has yet to release comprehensive national policy guidance on satellite internet services, though early indications suggest a permissive regulatory posture, aimed at attracting innovation and reducing reliance on legacy internet service providers (ISPs) who depend heavily on submarine cable infrastructure.
How will this impact Somalia’s Digital Ecosystem? The introduction of Starlink may have a profound implication for Somalia’s digital development if regulated properly. The country’s existing ICT ecosystem is both paradoxical and promising. On the one hand, Somalia boasts one of the most competitive telecommunication and financial services globally, with cheap call rates and mobile money platforms achieving near-universal penetration in urban centers. On the other, the country faces stark disparities in rural access to electricity, internet, and telecommunications infrastructure. The Universal Service Fund (USF), that noble global mechanism wherein governments collect fees and distribute subsidies to ensure telecommunication access for all, seems to have entirely missed the Somali vocabulary. It’s as if the term took one look at Somalia’s telecom landscape and decided, “Not my jurisdiction.”
Starlink’s satellite-based model has the potential to democratize access by bypassing the need for terrestrial infrastructure, thereby enabling connectivity in historically marginalized regions. This could improve not only household access to education and information but also institutional functions in areas such as e-governance, health care delivery, and disaster response. Moreover, Somalia’s sizeable diaspora - many of whom engage in business development and remittance flows - may find in Starlink a reliable means of maintaining virtual presence and operations in remote hometowns and investment zones.
Real Risks - Sovereignty, Surveillance, and Cost. Despite its promise, Starlink’s deployment in Somalia also raises concerns regarding national sovereignty, cybersecurity, and economic equity. The decentralized nature of satellite internet may reduce state oversight over digital flows, potentially complicating efforts to monitor harmful content, illicit financial activity, or foreign influence campaigns. There are also legal ambiguities around data protection and spectrum allocation, especially in a context where institutional enforcement mechanisms remain weak.
In economic terms, affordability remains a significant barrier. While the monthly service fee is nominally USD $50–$90, this figure is out of reach for many Somali households, particularly when combined with the $400–$600 equipment cost. Without targeted subsidies or community-based access models (such as shared networks or school-linked nodes), Starlink’s benefits may accrue disproportionately to urban elites and international NGOs.
The sky certainly is no longer the limit: Starlink’s entry into Somalia marks a pivotal moment in the country’s digital transformation trajectory. While not a panacea for the nation’s infrastructural woes, it represents a critical augmentation of Somalia’s connectivity landscape. Realizing its full potential, however, will require careful attention to regulatory frameworks, affordability mechanisms, and the inclusion of community voices in digital policymaking. Somalia’s experience may well become a litmus test for how high-tech interventions unfold in contexts marked by fragility, ingenuity, and rapid adaptation. As ever, the interplay between technology and society remains dynamic—and, in the Somali context, uniquely resilient.
As the post title suggests, Starlink’s presence in Somalia may not ameliorate the digital divide as optimistically projected; rather, it risks exacerbating existing inequalities. Instead of empowering Somalis through increased connectivity, Starlink could paradoxically contribute to further disconnection—what might be termed the Starlink Paradox in the Somali context. This paradox highlights a critical challenge: unless carefully regulated, Starlink may deepen digital exclusion rather than bridge it. To avoid this outcome, the Somali government must ensure that Starlink’s impact on national connectivity is aligned with principles of satellite sovereignty, inclusive infrastructure, and equitable digital access. Furthermore, the politics of access in Somalia must be interrogated—specifically, who gains access, who is excluded, and under what conditions. Addressing these questions is vital to prevent technological stratification and ensure that no one is left behind in Somalia’s digital future.
Comments, feedback as always welcome. Stay tuned for my personal view soon on the recent election, which I am very excited about, see note below.
Getting Australia forward on track - I will discuss the outcome of the recent Australian election in greater detail in a forthcoming post. Suffice it to say, however, that I had little doubt regarding the fate of a Liberal party whose campaign slogan -“Getting Australia Back on Track”- not only reflected a fundamental misreading of Australia’s current demographic realities but also signaled a regressive political orientation. The result, a historic electoral defeat, was both foreseeable and consequential. It is a setback from which the conservative camp is unlikely to recover in the near future.
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