Liberia signs deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink

Liberia has signed a one-year licensing agreement with tech billionaire Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service, in a bid to boost coverage across the poorly connected West African state.

Internet coverage in Liberia currently stands at around 60 percent, acting chairman of the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA), Abdullah L. Kamara, told journalists at the signing of the agreement Thursday.

The aim is to push that number towards 100 percent with the help of the Starlink deal, he added.

"Every village, town, and even your farm can have access to internet" thanks to the agreement, said Kamara said. The event was livestreamed on the LTA Facebook page.

Starlink's network of low-Earth orbit satellites can provide internet to remote locations or areas that normal communications infrastructure do not reach.

The LTA has issued a one-year provisional licence to Starlink, which will officially begin operating there at the start of November, Kamara said.

Elon Musk gestures during an event. File photo

"The one year is intended for all of us, they, ourselves, and the marketplace to understand the real impact -- and then after one year we will issue the continuing licence with any amendment that is necessary," he added.

The cost for users has not yet been finalised, said Kamara -- but Starlink will have to work with local internet service providers in Liberia as part of the deal.

Only 30 percent of Liberia's 5.3 million people currently have access to reliable internet services, according to a statement on the LTA website.

"Starlink's entry into the market could be transformative, especially for rural areas with limited connectivity," it added.

In July, Liberia's President Joseph Boakai held a virtual meeting with Musk, the world's wealthiest man.

They discussed "fostering international collaboration and leveraging technology for Liberia's development", the LTA said.

Agence France-Presse