The Senegalese government plans to rely on Starlink, which has just announced the launch of its commercial operations in Senegal, to provide free internet access to one million people by June 2026.
The authorities have negotiated the acquisition of 5,000 terminals from the U.S. company at a preferential rate, according to the Senegalese Press Agency (APS), citing a statement from the Ministry of Communication and the Digital Economy.
For the government, Starlink’s arrival represents a major strategic step toward universal internet access. Thanks to its constellation of low-Earth-orbit satellites, the technology is expected to significantly reduce coverage gaps by complementing or extending terrestrial networks, particularly in hard-to-reach regions.
Priority target sectors include underserved areas through community Wi-Fi solutions, education, higher education, vocational training, local authorities, border regions, as well as the Diomaye Plan for Casamance. The initiative is expected to significantly reduce connectivity costs for these stakeholders while providing access to very high-speed, reliable, and high-performance internet.
This approach is in line with the government’s objective of democratizing access to high-speed and very high-speed broadband across the entire national territory, particularly in rural and isolated areas where the deployment of terrestrial networks remains an economic and technical challenge. The executive has notably made satellite technology a strategic lever in achieving this ambition, which is part of the broader digital transformation agenda aimed at integrating ICT across all sectors to accelerate socio-economic development.