Mbabane – His Majesty King Mswati III has officially commissioned the Satellite Gateway, a Starlink initiative designed to bring faster and more reliable internet connectivity to all corners of Eswatini through low Earth orbit satellite technology.
His Majesty was represented at the commissioning ceremony by HRH Prince Sicalo. The King acknowledged that while existing internet service providers MTN Eswatini and Eswatini Mobile have been performing well, the Kingdom’s terrain and geographical landscape have made it difficult to reach certain areas.
“Eswatini is a proudly rural nation. Our people live across wide valleys and mountains where it is simply not practical or affordable to build mobile towers everywhere or lay fibre cables to every village,” the King said.
His Majesty also pointed to the Kingdom’s vulnerability as a landlocked country, noting its dependence on fibre links passing through neighbouring nations. “We have no direct access to undersea cables, which leaves us vulnerable when those links are cut or congested,” he said.
The King described the commissioning as a turning point for the nation. “Today is a historic day, we are not just launching a building, we are opening the door to a connected, prosperous future for every young person in every corner of the kingdom,” he said.
His Majesty said the gateway would open up opportunities that were previously out of reach for many emaSwati. “Every school, clinic and young entrepreneur can now be connected, no matter how remote. Faster, more reliable connectivity means e-learning, telemedicine, online businesses, tourism apps, and jobs that were never possible before,” he said.
Looking ahead, the King positioned the Starlink gateway as just the beginning of a broader technological journey for Eswatini. “Starlink is only the beginning, low earth orbit technology is evolving rapidly. One day soon, data centres will operate in space and AI will run closer to users than before. By embracing satellite connectivity today, Eswatini is positioning itself to connect directly to those future space-based resources. We are not just catching up, we are choosing to lead,” His Majesty said.
Leave a comment