Starlink’s Gambia future: Beyond national security concerns lies economic fear

Owned by billionaire Elon Musk, Starlink is one of the world’s leading internet providers, with over 9 million active subscribers across 155 countries.
In early February 2026, Starlink released a press statement informing Gambians that the company had paid a fee for a license to operate in the country, but that the government of President Adama Barrow had not issued it.
Mixed feelings were expressed by Gambian social media commentators upon receiving this news. While some Gambians welcome the news, some frown at it.

For others, Starlink would provide the country with fast, cheap and reliable internet compared to the current internet providers.

The Gambia is consistently ranked as one of the most expensive countries for internet access in Africa.

The Gambia is often ranked as the 8th or 9th most expensive country in Africa for mobile data. Recent 2025 reports indicate an average cost of approximately $5.86 (D432.14) per 1GB, significantly higher than the regional average.

For fixed broadband, The Gambia has been ranked as low as 170th out of 179 countries globally for download and upload speeds as of late 2023, reflecting both high costs and poor infrastructure.

However, for others, a cheap, affordable, and fast internet connection is secondary to data and national security hence their disapproval of Starlink services in the country.

Starlink satellite internet constellation operated by SpaceX, has faced several major controversies ranging from its use in geopolitical conflicts to its impact on astronomy and national security.

Starlink has recently faced intense scrutiny for its role in enabling massive “scam compounds” in Southeast Asia, particularly in Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos.

These compounds, often run by transnational criminal organisations, use the satellite service to bypass local internet crackdowns and target victims worldwide

Data and National Security Concerns

African countries such as Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso—have officially rejected or blocked Starlink from operating their satellite internet services, primarily due to licensing, local ownership rules, and regulatory issues.

In The Gambia, a decision to issue them a license has not been made despite making the payment to obtain it.

Appearing on QTV early this year, Hon. Lamin Jabbie, the Minister of Digital Economy explained why his government did not approve Starlink’s licence despite paying for it.

“What was brought to me as a Minister to sign, is a VSAT license which they asked me to sign and I did not sign,” Hon. Jabbie said.

When asked who gave him the document to sign, Hon. Jabbie said PURA has done their assessments, is comfortable with it and asked him to sign but he did not due to some of the things he found in the application.

“I didn’t sign because I found so many things there but one of the things is that you gave me a paper that said this is a VSAT license. And I asked Starlink, your technology and your institution as Starlink, are you VSAT, and they told me that they are not VSAT,” he said.

Hon. Jabbie said he is not expected to issue a VSAT licence to Starlink when they are not a VSAT.

Hon. Jabbie said he had to go and look for the appropriate licence, get that, have it signed and give it to Starlink.

“So basically I am looking at the law. The law says VSAT licence these are the terms and conditions. If you give a VSAT licence to someone who is not a VSAT how can you regulate that person based on that license?,” Hon. Jabbie questioned.

Research has shown that a VSAT license specifically authorises the use of Very Small Aperture Terminal equipment (small, two-way dish systems, typically 0.75m–2.4m) for private or commercial data/voice communication. While a general satellite license is broader, covering larger ground stations (teleports), broadcast services (receive-only), or satellite operators.

However, a source in PURA told The Point Newspaper that PURA has done its due diligence on the Starlink application for licences for operations in The Gambia.

According to reliable sources, PURA made their recommendations, waiting now for the Minister’s approval and signature.

The source said part of PURA’s recommendations is requirements for Starlink to have a physical office in the country.

“They have already paid for their licenses since last year waiting for approval from the Minister of Finance,” the source told The Point.

A senior government official familiar with the issue who wants to remain anonymous told The Point that the country does not have a framework to monitor Starlink.

“I am not sure the country is ready to have a satellite system that would provide internet in the country. We have very powerful individuals pushing for the government to issue a license to Starlink but we are not ready for it as a country,” the source told The Point.

The source said these “individuals” are business tycoons and powerful political figures who are close to the corridors of power.

“I will not be surprised if the government approves their (Starlink) license without any meaningful framework to monitor them because of those powerful elites which will be a risk for our security,” the senior government official further told The Point.

Like other African countries, enforcing regulations over satellite services poses challenges, with potential risks regarding tracking devices in unauthorised use cases.

Kebba Bojang, Deputy Managing Director of Gamtel in an interview with The Point said both Gamtel/Gamcel, GSM operators, and other internet providers were engaged by PURA, and the Ministry of Digital Economy.

Mr. Bojang said they have collectively responded to the concerns not only as businesses, but in the interest of the country, in terms of security, employment, and tax obligations. He believes that if there are proper, adequate policies and regulations, the country might not be at the end.

“But if there is no such clear-cut policy and regulations with respect to their coming into the country and doing business here, it might cost us a lot,” Bojang told The Point.

Bojang continued: How do we control the network that is flying in the sky, beaming over us without any presence here? Nobody to press if anything goes wrong in terms of cybercrime.”

Bojang said these are some of the concerns they have raised with PURa and the Ministry of Digital Economy regarding Starlink.

Fear of Economic Impact 

The coming of Starlink to The Gambia will no doubt increase competition in the country’s digital space. This is expected to make the internet cheaper and more affordable for users.

For Bojang, the satellite communication system Starlink uses is not the same as the type of technology that Gamtel/Gamcel, and other internet providers have even though the result is to provide the internet.

Bojang said Starlink is coming to a market that is “too small” to compete in as a nation.

“We are all trying to trade in a very small market, a maximum of 2.53 million population in Gambia, which is different from all other nations around the sub-regions, such as Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, where they (Starlink) claim to be operating a fairly larger business, markets,” Bojang said.

Bojang said the coming of Starlink to the country’s already “saturated” market competing with the existing 4 GSM operators, will give very limited opportunities for them to grab.

He believes this will result in some internet providers losing the strength that they hold in terms of customer base, and revenue from the customers.

Bojang said Gamtel/Gamcel’s wireless connections and fibre cables are incomparable to the satellite internet Starlink would provide if given a license to operate in the country.

Bojang said the competition will come down to the capacities and the market price, which he believes Starlink might be more affordable to the people. He said that Starlink might be able to penetrate and then absorb some of their customers.

“But we believe that we have enough strength to stand, to defend ourselves and compete with them in the market,” Bojang said.

In an interaction with a staff member of Africell, one of the biggest GSM operators in the country believes that a lot of jobs will be at risk if the government allows Starlink to operate in the country.

The Africell staff member who wants to be anonymous said he/she would prefer PURA to force the current GSM operators to reduce the data price rather than allow Starlink to operate in the country and put thousands of jobs at risk.

“I think the government should put the interest of the thousands of jobs these GSM operators have created for young people at the centre of their decision-making on Starlink’s license. Is not only the staff of Africell, but also Comium, Qcell, Gamtel/Gamcel, and other companies providing wireless internet to homes,” the source told the Point Newspaper.

When quizzed about the fact that the internet in the country is both expensive and slow, the source said PURA has the power to compel the internet providers to increase the speed and make it cheaper and more affordable.

However, Dr. Ousman Gagigo, an economist disagrees and told The Point that the entry of Starlink into the Gambian telecom market will have a significant impact, and most of it will be positive.

Dr. Gagigo said internet service in The Gambia is currently slow and expensive, so the most immediate effect will be increased competition. He said other internet service providers (ISPs) will now face a competitor offering considerably faster connections, giving consumers more alternatives.

“To retain customers, existing ISPs and telecom providers will be forced either to invest in better infrastructure to match Starlink’s quality or to lower their prices. Either way, Gambian consumers stand to benefit enormously,” he said.

Dr. Gagigo believes that Starlink is not only a competitor to telecom companies — it can also present opportunities for them. He said in other markets, Starlink has served as a backhaul provider, enabling telecoms to expand coverage into previously underserved areas.

Dr. Gagigo further stated that in The Gambia, where 4G or 5G connectivity is unavailable across much of the rural landscape, local providers could use Starlink to deliver services to their clients in those regions. He said extending reliable connectivity across all parts of the country would be enormously valuable to a wide range of sectors.

Dr. Gagigo said there are legitimate concerns about security, given that Starlink is a foreign company with no servers based locally. He said as with many things, however, the benefits must be weighed against the risks.

“It is not difficult to argue that the gains from higher-quality, more affordable data services far outweigh those risks. Moreover, as a small and relatively poor country, The Gambia does not have the leverage that larger nations can exert. Where genuine security concerns exist, the most constructive approach is for the authorities to engage directly with Starlink to address and mitigate those issues, rather than blocking its entry into the market altogether,” Dr. Gagigo told The Point.

When asked economically, how much impact Starlink could have on the country’s economy, Dr. Gagigo said high speed internet has a significant positive effect on the economy.

He said it facilitates e-commerce, which opens up innumerable opportunities for entrepreneurs and consumers.

“It makes service provision in education, health, agriculture and other sectors more efficient and affordable. In short, it’s highly transformational,” he said.

When contacted for comments both Africell, Comium, and Qcell declined.

On the 13th of March 2026, our reporter wrote to Starlink for comments via email but to no avail.

Source: The Point