09 March 2021

Elon Musk’s SpaceX’s Starlink internet service has started taking deposits from users in South Africa, allowing them to pay for a priority position to receive the service when it arrives in their respective regions.

Starlink uses a constellation of lower-earth orbit (LEO) satellites to offer fast, low-latency internet connectivity to its users.

The service is of particular benefit to people living in rural locations who struggle to access fibre or mobile broadband. Starlink has started taking deposits from users in locations across the globe, allowing them to pay for a priority position to receive the service when it arrives in their respective regions.

The  Starlink website  will now direct users with South African addresses to a payment gateway.

Previously, South Africans saw  a message that informed them they would get updates via their provided email address on when the service will be available in their location.