Government Unleashes Plan To Cut Data Cost As Starlink Goes Live In Zimbabwe

The government has moved decisively to lower the cost of internet access and expand connectivity after licensing Starlink for operations in Zimbabwe, ICT Minister Tatenda Mavetera announced at the Tech Convergence Fora 2025 in Harare.

Mavetera told industry leaders that licensing Starlink followed direct appeals from the technology sector at last year’s forum, and that the government has already begun work on the next phase: localising ground station capacity to cement satellite services on Zimbabwean soil.

“When we met at last year’s Fora, many of you passionately called for the licensing of Starlink. We heard you, we listened, and we acted,” Mavetera said, adding that ground station localisation would be pursued to strengthen service resilience and create local operational capacity.

The minister said the government’s top priority now is to wrestle down retail data prices. She has tasked the postal and telecommunications regulator, POTRAZ, with rolling out shared telecommunications infrastructure financed from the Universal Service Fund. The move is designed to eliminate duplicated capital expenditure among operators and reduce the cost base that is passed on to consumers.

Mavetera also said she pressed Treasury this week to review and remove taxes that, she argued, are “suffocating” operators and driving up prices. “By creating a more supportive fiscal environment, we can attract additional investment, lower operational costs, and accelerate the expansion of connectivity, especially in underserved areas,” she said.

Industry figures welcomed the direction. Toneo T. Toneo, CEO of TechnoMag and convener of the Tech Convergence Fora, said the licensing of low earth orbit satellite services represented a long awaited response from the government.

“There was a high demand and desire for the government to licence low earth orbit satellites, which is Starlink. The sector was very much helped and impressed by the response taken by the Ministry of ICT and the government at large to make sure they introduce such a very key stakeholder in the telecom sector,” Toneo said.

Toneo also highlighted a recent policy change by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) cutting fees on transactions under US$5, saying the move would accelerate e-commerce adoption and increase the use of plastic money.

“This will tremendously improve and encourage the usage of plastic money. It is the beginning of a new era,” he said.

Analysts say Starlink’s entry, combined with shared infrastructure and tax relief, could place downward pressure on data tariffs — but warned that concrete price declines will depend on how quickly infrastructure projects are implemented and whether fiscal changes are enacted.

For now, the Ministry’s twin push, boosting satellite capacity through localisation and reducing operators’ cost burdens, signals a shift toward a more interventionist approach to closing Zimbabwe’s digital divide.

With Starlink now operational and policy momentum rising, the government says it expects faster broadband rollouts, increased investor interest, and improved connectivity for previously underserved communities.