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Home（https://congosentinel.com/） Economy & Business（https://congosentinel.com/category/economy-business/） Gabon Eyes Starlink for 200-Plus Offline Villages
Economy & Business（https://congosentinel.com/category/economy-business/）
Gabon Eyes Starlink for 200-Plus Offline Villages
by Samuel Kambale（https://congosentinel.com/writer/samuel_kambale/） October 26, 2026
written by Samuel Kambale（https://congosentinel.com/writer/samuel_kambale/）
October 26, 2026
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Gabon’s government intends to let satellite internet providers, Starlink and Eutelsat among them, help connect the country’s most isolated communities. The announcement, made by the Minister of the Digital Economy, Mark Alexandre Doumba, remains a statement of intent rather than an authorisation already granted, yet it signals a notable shift in how the authorities propose to close the rural connectivity gap.
The Scale of Gabon’s Rural Connectivity Gap
The starting point is a stubborn reality: many parts of the country are still not connected. Speaking in an interview reported by the Gabonese outlet Gabon Media Time, the minister put a figure on the problem. “Today, more than 200 villages are still not connected to the internet. Some have only 20 or 30 inhabitants,” he said, in remarks translated from French. “Installing a mast for so few people is not always profitable, but we have an obligation to give them access to digital services.”
The statement is candid about the economics. For a conventional network, each tower must be justified by the users it serves, and settlements of a few dozen people rarely pass that test. Mr Doumba nonetheless frames access as an obligation of the state rather than a matter left to commercial arithmetic alone, while acknowledging that the difficulties are real.
Satellite Internet as an Alternative to Fibre
It is against this backdrop that the minister turned to satellite technology. He pointed to the forthcoming arrival of other foreign operators to strengthen internet access, naming Starlink and Eutelsat. “With progress in satellite internet, we will also authorise, in the coming months, providers such as Starlink and Eutelsat to contribute to covering these areas, rather than having to systematically deploy fibre optics,” he said.
The wording deserves careful reading. The authorisation is announced for the coming months; no more precise timetable was given, and no licensing decision is reported as having been taken yet. The underlying logic, however, is clear: where laying fibre to every remote locality would be hard to justify, satellite links are presented as a complement able to reach the villages that terrestrial networks struggle to serve. Gabon Media Time judged that the measure, if it materialises, would lift the country’s level of connectivity.
Universal Service Fund and Digital Skills
The minister did not present satellite as a stand-alone remedy. He stressed the importance of making the Universal Service Fund effectively operational, a step he tied to reaching the level of coverage the government is aiming for. He also underlined the need to train Gabonese citizens in digital professions, so that the development of fibre optic infrastructure in the country can be sustained and properly followed up.
Taken together, these elements sketch a layered approach: dedicated financing through the fund, a domestic pool of skilled workers, the continued development of fibre, and satellite providers to cover the remaining gaps.
What It Means for Existing Operators
According to the same report, the contribution of Starlink and Eutelsat would support the operators already present in Gabon rather than displace them, with the stated aim of allowing every Gabonese, wherever they live in the country, to enjoy a fast, smooth and secure internet connection.