How does it compare to VSAT in Zimbabwe?
Starlink is another satellite-based internet service provider just like Zodsat, Utande, and Telco. The only difference is that all VSAT providers in Zimbabwe are using a 3rd party satellite provider, predominantly Eutelsat and Avanti.
Starlink on the other hand is actually launching its own satellites into space which in essence means they are involved in the process end to end.
Speed
You can get 50 to 250Mbps on Starlink Internet and Starlink RV (Mobile home) and 150 to 500Mbps on Starlink Business with all 3 variants having unlimited internet. The fastest VSAT speed you can get from Zimbabwean providers is 25Mbps with upload speeds going as high as 6Mbps.
Monthly package costs
Starlink Internet is US$110 per month, Starlink RV is US$135 per month and Starlink Business is US$500 per month.
Highest-spec VSAT packages available in Zimbabwe:
- Utande’s 120GB package is US$363;
- Liquid Home’s Unlimited package is US$554;
- TelOne’s Unlimited package (650GB) is US$600;
- Zodsat’s Unlimited package is US$455.
Setup cost
It’s US$599 for Starlink Internet and Starlink RV and US$2 500 for Starlink Business, excluding shipping and duty.
- Utande – US$183 (Equipment hire) US$487 (US$350 equipment only)
- Liquid Home – US$1440
- Telco – US$700 (US$600 equipment only)
- TelOne – US$580 to US$1360
- Zodsat – US$450
When will Starlink be available in Africa?
2023 2024 Unconfirmed launch window Angola (Q2) Botswana Algeria Benin Burkina Faso Chad Burundi Cameroon Central African Republic Congo Cape Verde Djibouti Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Comoros Eritrea eSwatini Egypt Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Equatorial Guinea Kenya (Q2) Ghana Guinea Malawi Guinea-Bissau Lesotho Mauritania Ivory Coast Libya Mauritius Liberia Madagascar Morocco Namibia Mali Mozambique (Q2) São Tomé and Príncipe Niger Nigeria Tunisia Sierra Leone Rwanda Uganda Somalia Senegal South Africa Seychelles South Sudan Somaliland Sudan Tanzania Togo Western Sahara Zambia (Q2)
