Starlink and businesses in Zimbabwe

Starlink

Firstly, a disclaimer, I don’t know anyone who has the Starlink device since it hasn’t been launched in Zimbabwe yet. I have experienced some Wi-Fi connections that are too nice but I didn’t pry because I need the plausible deniability. Now that that’s out of the way, what are some of the possibilities I envision for Starlink in Zimbabwean businesses?

Disclaimer, I’m just a creative. For a more tech savvy accurate take on Starlink, you can visit Techzim.

Starlink is a massive project by SpaceX, aiming to bring high-speed internet access to every corner of the globe. It utilises a network of thousands of small satellites orbiting in low Earth orbit (LEO) around 550km above Earth, instead of traditional geostationary satellites.

LEO satellites allow for significantly faster data transfer compared to traditional satellite internet, making it suitable for activities like streaming, video calls, and online gaming. Starlink offers download speeds of up to 220 Mbps and plans to double this in the future. The large constellation aims to provide almost anywhere on Earth with internet access, regardless of terrestrial infrastructure.

“Starlink has no limit on the number of devices you use, so the only limit is what your hardware can support. The Starlink app says that the Starlink router can support up to 128 devices. Not that you’re going to want to connect 128 devices though. You still only have so much bandwidth, and it’s going to be split between all your connections. That means your speed is going to start dropping if you try to connect too many devices at once.”

Imagine free Wi-Fi being a calling card for people to come into your business instead of those loud speakers that have seen better days. Don’t get me started on the megaphones. Yes, I go down town sometimes. I first encountered the wonders of free Wi-Fi when I visited the land of the free. I hardly used my phone plan because almost all the places that I visited had free Wi-Fi.

Imagine if Joina City had free Wi-Fi for all its tenants and their customers? This would be a great advertising opportunity for the businesses. Imagine more and more people being able to go live and create content in real time from your business? I wouldn’t mind standing in those winding Econet/Steward Bank queues in Joina City if I had Wi-Fi to distract me. TalkCity would offer gamers a more seamless gaming experience and be able to provide gamers with games at a faster rate. As a free bonus tip, Joina City FM and those ad screens would have more eyeballs and ears on them. Which means more advertisers, which means more revenue.

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Internet cafés can finally come alive again. We would need to reimagine the concept of internet cafés and present new offerings. Internet café meets co-working space and the rest is up to you. You’re the entrepreneur. Speaking of co-working spaces, one of the drawbacks of co-working spaces was their slow Wi-Fi connection especially in the CBD. If they could invest in Starlink and start offering lightning speed, I would definitely start paying subscriptions to the co-working spaces. It would be a refreshing change of scenery to make me more productive.

With regards to being more productive, we can finally have the equipment we’ve needed to build the content creation industry in Zimbabwe. As a small city girl, I know how sluggish the internet is outside of Harare and we can finally change that! With more people having access to faster, more affordable internet, we can create more content and ultimately consume more content. I’ve always wanted to create a Maker Space where content creators can come in and rent equipment to create their content, edit and upload all in one place. That dream may finally come true. You can even steal this idea if you have the capital, the more Maker Spaces available the better!

Obviously one of the downsides is that piracy would also thrive. Jack Sparrow would also be able to conduct his dealings in a more efficient way. On the bright side, maybe people will start paying subs for legitimate streaming platforms such as ShowMax, Netflix and anything else that’s available on the fire stick or TV box.

Starlink is a groundbreaking project with the potential to revolutionise internet access worldwide. This could boost businesses and industries all across Zimbabwe to work more efficiently and to improve our future of work readiness. However, it’s important to consider both its benefits and potential drawbacks as it continues to develop.