ICT Reporter
Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart has extended an invitation to Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet venture, to establish a ground station in the city. Coltart emphasized that Bulawayo’s geographical location makes it an ideal spot for the station, citing its proximity to South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana, and Namibia.
“As a city, we have land to avail, but of course, it would not be a gift, but we would be glad to facilitate such services from Space X within the city,” Coltart stated. He also highlighted the potential benefits of the station, including improved bandwidth and internet connectivity in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
High-speed internet consultant Willard Shoko initially proposed the idea, pointing out that a local ground station would significantly reduce latency and attract investment opportunities. Shoko noted that Zimbabwe currently utilizes only 36% of its international bandwidth for downloads and less than 10% for uploads, with most internet traffic being served from Johannesburg.
Key Benefits of Starlink Ground Station in Bulawayo:
- Improved Internet Connectivity: Enhanced bandwidth and reduced latency for the SADC region
- Economic Growth: Attracting investment opportunities and stimulating local economic development
- Increased Accessibility: Providing high-speed internet access to remote and underserved areas.
Starlink in Zimbabwe:
Starlink has already secured regulatory approval in Zimbabwe and offers two residential packages: Standard ($50/month) and Mini ($30/month), both with unlimited News. With over 6,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, Starlink aims to provide global mobile broadband coverage.
Zim GBC News©2024