"We are back to civilization!" With less than a third of its vast territory covered by internet, Niger is banking on Starlink, the broadband provider of American billionaire Elon Musk, to bridge the digital divide in rural areas.

In November, the military regime in power in Niger granted Starlink a five-year broadband internet operating license.

With its thousands of satellites, "Starlink will provide coverage of around 80% to 100%" of Niger's territory (1.267 million km2), rejoices Sidi Ahmed Raliou, its Minister of Communication.

A leap forward for this large desert country where the internet penetration rate even fell between 2022 and 2023, going from 37% to 32%.

The decline in investment and the numerous destructions of relay antennas by armed groups that are proliferating in the country are notably cited by the Electronic Communications and Postal Regulatory Authority (ARCEP) to justify the persistence of the digital divide.

Around fifteen African countries have signed agreements to authorize the deployment of Starlink on their territories.

“Essential services that support development like banking, hospitals, schools, energy and agriculture all depend on the internet and data,” says economist Ibrahim Adamou Louché.

Sold for between 260,000 FCFA and 400,000 FCFA (396 and 609 euros), Starlink equipment is imported from neighboring Nigeria, from where it sometimes enters fraudulently.

In the capital Niamey, sales of Starlink kits have not yet "exploded" and "only a few homes are connected", observes Ali Sat, a trader.

"It is especially in isolated areas of the country that Starlink is well established," he says.

- No interruption -

"We are being asked in the bush to install Starlink because people have realised that the connection is never interrupted," adds Moumouni Harouna, a technician.

A month ago, a resident of Gorou, a hamlet in the west, close to Mali, installed Starlink.

Eight years after armed attackers destroyed telephone and internet relays, the lives of villagers have changed.

"We are back in civilization," exclaims Alfa Hama, a resident of Gorou.

"No need to walk six kilometers to the top of a hill and look for a hypothetical signal, the wifi is right there," he rejoices.

In all four corners of the country, Starlink generates a lucrative business of paid access services: for a few hundred CFA francs (a few euros), users can connect for a given period.

"Especially on weekly market days, people crowd around the wifi router," explains Moussa Djibrilla, a middle school teacher in Mangaïzé (west), another rural commune where Starlink equipment has also been installed.

In the vast, desert north of the country, the technology was already being used illegally, but with the official authorization issued by the authorities in November, everything accelerated.

"Starlink has established itself in homes and with service providers" and "its antennas are now part of the decor of camps and villages", confirms Abdourahamane Chégou, a native of Bilma, an oasis town in the heart of the desert.

- Opening to the world -

High-speed connection is available even in some places in the Ténéré, an obligatory stopover point for travelers and thousands of migrants during their perilous crossing of the desert towards Libya.

A little further south, in Tabelot, gold panning sites, markets and a bus station also have paid connection points, and entire neighbourhoods are paying to buy a Starlink, underlines Youssaf Houssa, a local traditional chief.

"Starlink opens us up to the world, people are getting closer through WhatsApp groups and doing business online," says this Tuareg leader.

In addition to being space-saving, the equipment can run on generators, car batteries and solar energy, he explains.

Often criticized for the quality of their services, the four operators present in Niger for around thirty years, view the arrival of the new competitor with a jaundiced eye.

"Satellite solutions are complementary, but do not replace the advantages we offer in terms of cost, performance and personalized service," assures a manager of one of the companies who wishes to remain anonymous.