Spacex CEO Elon Musk said Sunday that the company’s satellite internet service, Starlink, is now available in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Musk made the announcement in a post on X, formerly Twitter, days after Congolese authorities said they had granted a license for Starlink to operate in the country. The government had previously banned the service in March, citing national security concerns.
At the time, military officials warned that the system could be exploited by rebel groups.
Congo, which has been plagued by conflict and instability, has one of the lowest internet connectivity rates in the world. As of 2023, just 30% of the population had internet access, according to the International Telecommunication Union.
Starlink, which uses a constellation of low-orbit satellites to deliver high-speed internet to remote regions, has been rapidly expanding across Africa. The service is now available in more than a dozen countries on the continent.