Story by Owen Mandovha
Harare has exhausted its allocated capacity for the Starlink satellite internet service, with new kit registrations having been paused until further notice.
Less than two months after the launch of the Starlink satellite internet service in Zimbabwe, new kits cannot be registered in Harare and its sorrounding areas at the moment, with prospective subscribers having to wait until additional capacity is allocated.
Information technology specialist, Mr Tinashe Mushambadope says the frenzy created by low internet charges caused fast paced uptake of the service, with Harare becoming the 5th city in Africa to reach its limit.
“Harare becomes the 5th city to exhaust its capacity after 4 other cities in Nigeria and this shows how amenable Zimbabweans are to new technology and their acceptance of the new service of Starlink,” he said.
A local firm providing Starlink services acknowledged the prevailing situation.
“There has been more demand in Harare than supply and surrounding areas and this is because of the buzz created by the service provider since the launch of the service. But existing customers can still enjoy the service while new registrations are only affecting residential kits only,” noted
Aura Group CEO, Mr Samuelle Dimairho.
Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) Director General, Dr Gift Machengete clarified that the limit set by Starlink comes with restrictions.
“The service faces huge challenges when it outstrips its capacity due to increased density because Starlink will put out a maximum limit at a certain radius so that limit has been reached and it also now lead to the reduced internet speeds and quality of service,” he said.
Government officially gave the nod to Starlink internet services two months ago after the successful registration of the Space X owned satellite internet provider which has transformed the local telecommunications landscape through lower internet costs.
