MTN Zambia has moved to the front of Africa’s telecoms race after announcing what it described as the continent’s first completed field test of Starlink’s Direct to Cell service, a development that could reshape mobile connectivity across remote and underserved communities.
The company said the breakthrough followed a strategic partnership with Starlink, the satellite internet business operated by SpaceX. According to MTN Zambia, the test successfully delivered a satellite based data session and a mobile money transaction using MTN’s licensed spectrum and Starlink’s satellite network.
The milestone places Zambia at the centre of a growing push by African operators to use low Earth orbit satellite technology to extend coverage to areas where mobile towers and fibre networks remain limited or absent.
MTN Zambia said the service is designed to work with ordinary LTE compatible smartphones, removing the need for specialised hardware. That means users in hard to reach areas could access key digital services directly on their mobile devices once the service moves into full commercial operation.
The company said the planned offering would support services such as WhatsApp voice and video calls, the MoMo app, MyMTN, navigation tools and weather applications. It added that the commercial launch is expected in the coming weeks, subject to regulatory approval.
The announcement is significant for Africa’s wider digital economy. Across much of the continent, millions of people still live in locations where terrain, cost and low population density make traditional telecoms infrastructure difficult to deploy. Satellite to phone connectivity is now being seen as one of the clearest options for closing that gap.
For Zambia, the development also carries financial inclusion implications. By successfully completing a fintech transaction during the field test, MTN Zambia signalled that satellite enabled mobile networks could support mobile money services in places that have long lacked reliable terrestrial coverage.
The move comes as major African telecom operators accelerate their satellite strategies. Industry players have increasingly turned to partnerships with global satellite providers to reach rural populations, improve resilience and expand digital access beyond urban centres.
Although MTN Zambia’s announcement positions it as the first African operator to complete Starlink Direct to Cell testing and prepare for launch, the rollout remains tied to final regulatory clearance. That distinction is important, because the technology has now moved beyond theory and trial stage, but is still awaiting the last step before broad public use.
Even so, the Zambia development is already being seen as a major signal to the rest of the continent. It shows that Africa is no longer simply watching the next phase of mobile connectivity from the sidelines. Instead, one of its operators is helping to define what that future could look like.
For AkwaIbomTimes readers across Africa and beyond, the Zambia rollout plan stands out as more than a telecoms story. It is a window into how the next wave of digital infrastructure may reach remote schools, isolated communities, cross border travellers and small businesses that have remained outside dependable network coverage for years.
As competition in satellite enabled mobile services gathers pace, MTN Zambia’s move may prove to be the first major step in a broader continental shift toward direct to device connectivity.
