Liberiaโข Courts Amazon Following Starlink Launch, Eyes Expanded Internet Access
Monrovia, Liberia – Buoyed by โthe recent โarrival of Starlink services, โLiberia is actively seeking to attract Amazon’s Kuiper internet project to its market, aiming to further expand connectivity and digital โopportunities across the nation. Liberian โMinister of Posts โand Telecommunications,โ Cybelle โขtaylor, recently engaged with Amazon representatives, praising the โcountry’s improving โinvestment climate and advocating โfor its inclusion in Amazon’s rollout plans.
Liberia’s pursuit of Amazon comes as the West African nation looks to โขrapidly close the digital divide andโ capitalize on the economicโฃ benefits of widespread internet access.โ Starlink officially launched commercial services in โLiberiaโ in January 2024, offering a new โคoption for connectivity, especiallyโ in remote areas. โฃThough,the government โคrecognizes the โpotential for increased competition and broader coverage with the addition of Amazon’s Kuiper system,which utilizes a constellation โofโข low Earth orbit satellites. The success of Starlink has demonstrated Liberia’s readiness for advanced satellite โขinternet technology and its potential as a viable market for further investment.
Taylor reportedlyโ pledged to โฃfacilitate Amazon’s entry into the Liberian market andโ connect the company with relevant stakeholders. while Amazon has launchedโ its first satellites for the Kuiperโฃ project -โค beginning in October โ2023 – the โcompany must first establish fullyโค operational commercial services and assess โฃpotential availability across Africa.In September 2023, Amazon โคsigned an agreementโค with Vodafone to support network deployment andโ enhancement on the โcontinent, a โคmove seen as crucial for the project’s expansion.
The initiative is being closely followed by industry observers,as Liberia aims โฃto position itself asโ a regional leader in digital infrastructure and innovation.