Our research on Starlink and LEO satellite networks has been featured in Rest of World News in their comprehensive investigation: "Starlink is bringing cheaper internet to Africa". The article examines how Starlink is transforming Internet connectivity across Africa, a continent where traditional infrastructure deployment has been challenging, exploring both the opportunities and challenges that satellite Internet brings to underserved regions.
Read the complete investigation: Starlink is bringing cheaper internet to Africa
As part of this investigation, I was interviewed to provide technical perspective based on our extensive measurements of Starlink performance, discussing what users can actually expect from Starlink in different regions, the role of ground stations and terrestrial connectivity, how Starlink compares to existing options, and what the expansion of LEO constellations means for global connectivity.
Africa presents unique opportunities for satellite Internet including filling infrastructure gaps in regions lacking fiber or reliable terrestrial connectivity, enabling digital economies and services, connecting schools and universities, providing telemedicine and remote diagnostics, and enabling mobile banking and digital payments. However, challenges remain around affordability relative to local incomes, ground station coverage, diverse regulatory environments across 54 countries, competition with local ISPs and telecommunications companies, and long-term sustainability. Our measurements reveal that quality depends heavily on ground station proximity, latency shows significant advantages over GEO satellites, performance can degrade with increased users, and Starlink is not always the cheapest option but sometimes the only option.
The article touches on broader questions about the digital divide: Can satellite Internet bridge gaps that terrestrial infrastructure hasn't? What are the economic implications for local providers? How do regulatory frameworks need to evolve? What does this mean for Internet sovereignty and governance? The Rest of World story is grounded in our peer-reviewed research including ANRP 2025 recognition from IETF/IRTF, ACM HotNets 2024 CDN performance analysis, ACM WWW 2024 multifaceted performance study, and RIPE 90 operational insights, demonstrating the real-world relevance of our work in informing policymakers, helping users set realistic expectations, guiding operators, and contributing to evidence-based public discourse.
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About Rest of World: Rest of World is a nonprofit journalism organization documenting how technology is changing lives and societies around the world, with particular focus on regions often underrepresented in technology coverage.