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South African mobile operator Cell C has confirmed that it is actively engaged in discussions with leading low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite providers, including SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon Leo, as part of a strategic push to expand rural connectivity and introduce new broadband offerings.
The telecommunications company revealed it is exploring potential direct-to-cell agreements alongside opportunities to resell LEO broadband packages. According to Cell C representatives, ongoing engagements involve a wide range of industry participants to assess future connectivity solutions for under served regions, ensuring that remote populations are not left behind in the digital era.
“We continue to engage with a range of industry participants, including LEO satellite providers, as part of our ongoing assessment of future connectivity opportunities,” Cell C said.
With this announcement, Cell C joins major rivals Vodacom and MTN in pursuing collaborative pathways with satellite innovators. Although Starlink remains legally restricted from operating directly within South Africa, both Vodacom and MTN have forged operational partnerships with SpaceX’s LEO service in other African jurisdictions.
South African operators are actively evaluating or implementing agreements with alternative satellite heavyweights such as AST SpaceMobile, Eutelsat OneWeb, Amazon Leo, and Lynk Global.
Airtel Africa also recently signed a broad agreement with SpaceX to bring Starlink’s Direct-to-Cell (D2C) service across all 14 of its African operating markets.
Following that framework, Airtel Uganda kicked off technical trials and testing of Starlink’s satellite-to-phone technology after Starlink secured its provisional regulatory license from the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC).
This directly mirrors what Cell C is exploring in South Africa and what regional telecom giants like MTN and Vodacom are pursuing elsewhere on the continent. Rather than viewing satellite internet purely as a threat, mobile network operators are partnering with LEO providers so standard, off-the-shelf smartphones can seamlessly connect to orbital towers in remote, under served areas without requiring extra hardware or specialized satellite phones.
Zimbabwe should also take notes.
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