Starlink is expected to launch a ground station in Mozambique by the end of March, increasing the satellite broadband service’s capacity and reducing latency across Southern Africa.
Like other satellite services, the SpaceX-operated Starlink requires ground stations to facilitate backhaul connectivity to Internet servers.
Inter-satellite laser communication is used to support connectivity in regions without ground stations.
A satellite connected to a customer’s Starlink dish can send and receive data transmissions from and to other satellites within range of a ground station.
This capability allows Starlink to provide connectivity across vast areas without ground stations, including the ocean and deserted remote areas.
However, the additional time it takes to bounce data between multiple satellites increases latency.
Starlink can provide latency between 20ms and 40ms if the user connects to a satellite close to a ground station.
When inter-satellite links get involved, the latency is significantly increased.
Customers in many Sub-Saharan African countries experienced latency in the triple digits.
Boosting capacity for new subscriptions
The additional ground station could also boost capacity on the Starlink network in Sub-Saharan Africa, enabling the service to reopen sign-ups in broadband-limited cities with high demand.
In addition, Starlink plans to reopen new sign-ups for its regional roaming or Roam Unlimited subscription in the region.
That option was removed due to capacity constraints and abuse of the service in unsupported countries.
Info source: MyBroadband