Airtel Uganda has started testing satellite-to-phone connectivity technology from Starlink in Uganda, expanding efforts to bring mobile coverage to remote areas without traditional telecom infrastructure.
The tests allow ordinary smartphones to connect directly to satellites even in places with no mobile network signal. Users do not need special satellite phones or extra hardware to access the service.
The development follows similar trials carried out earlier this year in Kenya, where Airtel Africa and Starlink tested messaging, navigation tools, light data services, and mobile money transactions through satellite connectivity in remote locations.
In Uganda, Airtel said the tests are focused on improving communication access in underserved and hard-to-reach communities where building mobile towers is either too expensive or technically difficult.
The service is powered by Starlink’s Direct-to-Cell technology, also known as Direct-to-Device or Supplemental Coverage from Space. The system uses more than 650 satellites that effectively operate as orbiting mobile towers, allowing standard smartphones to connect directly to satellites for text messaging, voice calls, and eventually mobile internet services.
Soumendra Sahu said the company was excited to begin testing technology that could transform connectivity in remote areas.
He said the service could improve communication access in locations such as the Buvuma Islands and Murchison Falls National Park, where traditional network coverage remains limited.
According to Sahu, the technology automatically connects smartphones to satellites, improving access to calls, text messages, and selected data services in areas without normal network coverage.
The tests are being carried out under approval from the Uganda Communications Commission, which is supervising the project while reviewing the wider impact of satellite-based mobile connectivity in the country.
Starlink’s expansion across Africa has faced regulatory and industry concerns in several markets. Telecom operators and regulators have raised questions around licensing, spectrum management, infrastructure responsibilities, and competition as the satellite company pushes deeper into the continent’s telecom sector.
Uganda had previously taken a cautious position toward Starlink operations. However, the partnership with Airtel changes the structure of the rollout.
Instead of operating independently as a direct consumer internet provider, Starlink is working through an existing telecom operator that already holds spectrum licences and regulatory approvals.
Under the arrangement, Airtel remains the licensed telecom provider while Starlink supplies the satellite infrastructure used to extend mobile coverage beyond the reach of ground-based towers.
The Uganda trials form part of a wider strategy announced by Airtel Africa and SpaceX in December 2025 to deploy Starlink’s direct-to-cell technology across Airtel Africa’s 14 markets beginning in 2026.
