The Democratic Republic of the Congo has become the first African country to offer commercial satellite-to-mobile services, through a partnership between Airtel Africa and SpaceX's Starlink announced in December 2025.

Customers with LTE-capable Android handsets and a clear view of the sky can send SMS messages and use applications such as WhatsApp in areas without terrestrial coverage. Apple device compatibility is expected to follow.

Why did the DRC come first?

The selection gives Airtel Africa a route into parts of the country where ground-based infrastructure is uneconomic. Caroline Mbugua, senior director of public policy and communications at the GSMA, points to geography as the binding constraint. "The northern part of the country is where we have the biggest challenge when it comes to connectivity," she says. "There's very, very difficult terrain and very dense forest — one of the largest forests in the world."

Around 32% of the Congolese population lives outside the reach of mobile broadband, one of the largest coverage gaps in Sub-Saharan Africa. The usage gap — people in covered areas who do not subscribe — stands at roughly 51%, according to GSMA data.

"That's why we're seeing players in the market, like Airtel, looking for technologies that can help enable the rollout of infrastructure in these types of rural areas," Mbugua adds.

What spectrum changes cleared the way?

In December 2025, the Congolese government approved a unified licensing framework that lets operators use 2G, 3G and 4G resources under a single licence. Airtel holds spectrum in the 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz and 2600 MHz bands in the country.

Mbugua frames spectrum as the precondition for build-out. "For you to roll out infrastructure, you need spectrum to connect that infrastructure," she says. "The unified licensing framework has accelerated the signal for additional investment in the market. The spectrum will support that."

Airtel Africa, the largest mobile operator in the DRC by revenue, spent $263 million on spectrum fees and renewals across its markets — the DRC, Kenya, Malawi and Zambia — in the financial year ending March 2025.

The GSMA's 2025 DRC report warns that high spectrum and operating costs are typically passed through to subscribers in markets where affordability remains constrained.

How steep is the handset affordability barrier?

The average smartphone in the DRC sells for $305, yet 70% of consumers say they will pay no more than $200. Airtel is among the operators lobbying for tax breaks on entry-level devices to narrow the usage gap.

Where does Airtel's D2D roadmap lead next?

The Starlink arrangement covers all 14 of Airtel Africa's markets, but per-country regulatory clearance will dictate the rollout pace across the rest of the footprint. Sunil Taldar, Airtel Africa's CEO, framed the deal as a complement to terrestrial build-out. "By combining Airtel's terrestrial network with Starlink's satellite technology, we are extending essential connectivity beyond the limits of conventional mobile infrastructure," he said.

Airtel has separately signed with OneWeb to provide satellite connectivity to public-sector and enterprise customers across the region.

In rural Sub-Saharan settings, infrastructure deployment runs 2-5% more expensive than in cities and can be up to 10 times less profitable, Mbugua says — economics that make satellite partnerships a structural feature of African coverage rather than a stop-gap. Each additional market approval under the unified licensing framework is likely to bring Airtel's Starlink service a step closer to commercial launch through 2026.