Starlink, the satellite internet network owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has officially launched services in Senegal, expanding its footprint across Africa. The company announced the rollout on Feb. 4 via X, adding the West African nation to a growing list of markets served by its low Earth orbit network.
The service is now available nationwide, with monthly subscriptions priced at CFA22,000 and CFA30,000, depending on the package. Customers must also buy Starlink equipment, offered in two versions costing CFA117,000 and CFA146,000. The company says users can expect download speeds of up to 305 megabits per second and upload speeds of up to 40 Mbps, though actual performance can vary by location and usage.
Bridging Senegal’s digital access divide
Starlink is positioning its satellite network as an answer to Senegal’s uneven internet coverage, particularly outside major cities. Because its satellites orbit closer to Earth than traditional systems, Starlink says it can deliver service to remote and rural areas that are costly or impractical for fiber and mobile networks to reach.
Those gaps remain wide. A government-backed study presented in September 2025 found that nearly a quarter of Senegalese localities had no network coverage at all, affecting about 18,858 people. Another 37% reported frequent service disruptions. While 4G covered just over half of the country, some communities still relied on 2G connections.
Starlink enters crowded Senegal market
Senegal recorded 24.14 million internet subscriptions by the end of June 2025, according to official figures. That translates to a penetration rate of 124%, though the number is inflated by users holding multiple SIM cards or data plans. DataReportal estimates actual internet use at about 60.6% of the population.
Mobile operators dominate the market. Orange, through its Sonatel unit, held a 63.42% share as of June 2025, according to the telecom regulator. Free (Yas) followed with 22.8%, while Expresso and Promobile accounted for smaller portions.
Starlink will also contend with satellite rivals. In December 2024, Orange introduced satellite internet services in Senegal through a partnership with Eutelsat’s Konnect platform, targeting homes and businesses with coverage claimed to reach nearly the entire country.
Musk expands Starlink across Africa
As Starlink rolls out, its wide coverage and speed claims will be tested against household budgets. Equipment and monthly fees remain high for many Senegalese, even as demand for stable internet continues to grow.
Starlink first entered Africa in 2022 and has since launched in Namibia, Cameroon, Lesotho, Somalia, and the Congo. Elon Musk, the world’s richest individual with an estimated net worth of $680 billion, has said Starlink plans to expand further across Africa wherever regulatory conditions allow.
