Satellite internet: Starlink launches its services in Senegal
February 5th 2026
Starlink continues to expand its network in Africa, amid strong growth in satellite internet. The American company is now present in approximately 25 African countries, including Benin, Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya, and Niger.
Commercial services from satellite internet provider Starlink are now available in Senegal. This was revealed by the American company owned by billionaire Elon Musk in a post on X on Wednesday, January 4th.
To access the service, Senegalese users will have to pay either 22,000 CFA francs (approximately $40) or 30,000 CFA francs per month. In addition, there is the cost of the equipment, available in two models priced at 117,000 and 146,000 CFA francs. The company promises download speeds of up to 305 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 40 Mbps.
With its constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, Starlink can claim to provide widespread coverage of the Senegalese territory, even reaching businesses located in rural or remote areas that are difficult to access for the terrestrial networks of telecom operators and traditional Internet service providers.
According to a study carried out by the authorities and whose results were presented in September 2025, 24% of localities in Senegal have no network, representing nearly 18,858 inhabitants; 37% suffer frequent signal losses and only 52% benefit from 4G coverage, while some areas remain limited to 2G.
Starlink is entering a market that, according to official sources, had 24.14 million internet subscriptions by the end of June 2025. While this represents a penetration rate of 124% of the population, the actual number of connected individuals is likely lower, as these figures include all lines and SIM cards used for internet access, and a single person may own multiple SIM cards. For example, DataReportal estimates the internet penetration rate in the country at 60.6% by the end of 2025.
The Senegalese internet market is currently dominated by telecom operators, particularly Orange (Sonatel). As of the end of June 2025, Orange held a 63.42% market share, according to data from the telecom regulator. Free (Yas) holds second place with 22.8%, followed by Expresso (9.43%) and Promobile (5.07%).
Furthermore, Starlink will face competition in the satellite internet market itself. Orange launched satellite internet services in December 2024 in partnership with Eutelsat/Konnect. The operator’s offerings primarily target households and businesses, with advertised coverage of nearly 99% of the territory.
In this context, beyond the promise of coverage and performance, the question of the financial accessibility of the service emerges as a central issue for large-scale adoption by Senegalese households.
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