SpaceX’s Starlink has officially launched commercial satellite internet services in Seychelles, extending its footprint to 28 African countries in a move that signals the company’s strategy is evolving beyond connecting underserved communities to competing in more mature broadband markets.
The satellite internet service became operational on July 18, according to Seychelles Vice President Sebastien Pillay, months after the government granted Starlink an Internet Service Provider (ISP) licence in February.
The approval allows the company to offer broadband services across the Indian Ocean archipelago’s 115 islands.
Unlike many of Starlink’s African launches, however, Seychelles is already among the continent’s most digitally connected countries.
According to DataReportal, about 87.4% of the country’s population was using the internet by the end of 2025, supported by widespread mobile broadband and fibre-based internet services.
