Airtel Africa becomes first operator to commercially launch Starlink Mobile in DRC

Airtel Africa and Starlink have launched a satellite-to-mobile service in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), marking the first commercial deployment in Africa. The service enables Airtel customers with compatible smartphones to access connectivity in non-terrestrial areas wherever they have a clear view of the sky. Starlink, the world’s largest satellite-to-mobile constellation with 650 launched satellites, enables light-data applications, including WhatsApp messaging, as well as SMS.