EDITOR — It is quite refreshing and heart-warming to note that the high-speed internet service SpaceX’s Starlink has been activated in Zimbabwe at a time when local network providers are struggling to provide us with better internet services.
Their exorbitant data prices were suffocating us, and I fervently hope that the Starlink services will offer the much-needed solution to the country’s deep-seated internet connectivity problems, especially in remote areas. It is worrying that citizens, especially the rural folk, have been facing network problems for decades.
In contrast, it is time for local internet service providers to adapt or go out of business. They have been shortchanging us for too long. Surely, local network providers have been taking us for granted. For too long, they have been ripping us off.
Competition is healthy.
Yes, local is lekker, but our local network/internet providers are failing us.
Their networks are poor and slow, yet their data is very expensive.
Our concerns to them mean nothing.
Furthermore, in this digital age, high-speed internet is ideal or significant to a country’s development. Now local farmers can use Starlink to access real-time data on soil moisture, crop health and weather patterns, among others. This will enable them to make more informed decisions about when to plant, irrigate and harvest. With high-speed internet access, farmers can also control game systems, monitor livestock, reduce labour costs, and improve efficiency. I am appealing to all local farmers to take advantage of Starlink internet services to boost productivity.
Frankly, with high-speed internet, students in remote areas can also access online education and participate in distance learning programmes. I can safely say that this can improve their access to education because, as a matter of fact, rural students have been lagging behind in many aspects compared to their urban counterparts.
In my view, Starlink is a game changer.
We must move with the times. In the same vein, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Second Republic for giving Starlink a nod to operate in Zimbabwe.
Terrence Mwedzi,
Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
