Starlink Cameroon still has no operating licence as of 3 October 2026: the draft concession agreement completed by the regulator in December 2025 is still waiting for the green light from the supervising ministry. The service therefore remains closed to sales, kits imported without type approval are seized at the border, and no official price exists for the country. For Starlink Cameroon, the neighbours nevertheless give a fairly precise idea of the bill to expect, starting with Chad, where the unlimited plan costs 32,000 FCFA a month (about €49). Here is where the file stands, what is holding it up, and the prices you can reasonably expect.
Starlink Cameroon: where the file stands in October 2026
The last known official step dates back to the end of November 2025. Speaking before the finance committee of the National Assembly, the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Minette Libom Li Likeng, said that the draft concession agreement and the terms of reference for the company Starlink Cameroun Sarl had been finalised by the Telecommunications Regulatory Board (ART), then passed on to the technical supervisory authority for the rest of the procedure. She spoke at the time of the “possible” granting of a concession, a word that matters.
Since then, nothing public has emerged on Starlink Cameroon. On 24 September 2026, the news site Investir au Cameroun wrote that none of the sources it consulted confirmed that a final agreement had been awarded. Two days earlier, the Canadian equipment maker NuRAN Wireless, which wants to use the constellation to connect its rural 3G and 4G sites, still listed Cameroon among the countries where the file is “in progress”, unlike the DRC, Côte d’Ivoire and Benin, where authorisations have been obtained.
For Starlink Cameroon, the availability map published by the operator was still showing, in the spring, a launch planned “starting in 2026” for the country. The deadline, first set for 2025, has already been pushed back once.
Good to know — a concession is not a simple licence. In Cameroon, it takes the form of an agreement signed between the State and the operator, accompanied by terms of reference, followed by an act of approval. Until those texts are signed and published, no reseller can legally market the service.
From the April 2024 cut-off to the ART agreement: the timeline
The story of Starlink Cameroon begins in the informal sector. In 2023 and early 2024, individuals, start-ups and small businesses bought dishes in Nigeria, a country open since 2023, and activated them in roaming mode on Cameroonian soil.
2024: the sudden halt
On 15 April 2024, the Director General of Customs, Fongod Edwin Nuvaga, signed a memo ordering the systematic seizure of Starlink equipment entering the territory without ART type approval. The reason given: this hardware escapes the regulator’s control and may compromise national security. The next day, SpaceX warned its customers that the service would be cut off on 30 April in countries where it is not authorised, Cameroon included. The ministry had asked the company to block local users until it complied with the rules.
2025: talks resume
It was not until 27 June 2025 that a delegation from the operator was received in Yaoundé by the minister. The company then submitted a complete application. At the end of November, the draft agreement and the terms of reference were sent to the supervising ministry. On 9 and 10 December, in Kribi, the ART board of directors adopted a 2026 budget of 77.5 billion FCFA (about €118 million) that provides for the purchase of monitoring equipment for 5G and satellite internet.
2026: the wait and the mixed signals
On 8 April 2026, Camtel’s management hosted the British company Avanti Communications in Yaoundé to study a satellite offer that would complement fibre. On 26 August, at a forum on the business climate organised by the United States embassy and AmCham, the subject came back on the table: the service was described there as safe and effective, provided that security requirements are met.
Starlink Cameroon licence: what is still holding things up
The hold-up facing Starlink Cameroon is not technical. The satellites already cover the country. The reservations are political, economic and security-related, and the authorities have set them out quite frankly.
- Digital sovereignty: the minister summed up the problem in one sentence, saying that a piece of equipment and a code are all it takes to be connected, “with all the risks that entails”. The State wants to be able to identify subscribers and monitor traffic.
- Competition: Camtel holds the monopoly on transport infrastructure, while MTN and Orange take 98% of data revenue. A player that can do without their networks shakes the whole structure.
- Jobs and taxation: at the August forum, participants pointed out that the operator would create 15 to 20 local positions, against hundreds or even thousands at the mobile operators, and that a full telecoms licence runs to more than 800 billion FCFA (about €1.2 billion).
- Quality of service: the example of Kenya or Lagos, where the network became saturated in the big cities, is pushing the regulator to demand written commitments.
Not everyone shares these fears. Ayuk Etta, president of Mountain Hub, argued for a more pragmatic reading at the same forum: the arrival of satellite will not kill off local operators, it will force them to improve their service. The country had 15.1 million active internet subscriptions in 2024, almost all of them mobile, for a penetration rate of 41.9%. More than one Cameroonian in two remains offline, especially in rural areas, where neither fibre nor 4G reaches.
The Senegalese precedent does not help. Launched on 4 February 2026, the service had its licence suspended by the Supreme Court on 7 September, at the request of Sonatel, which was challenging the authorisation order. For Starlink Cameroon, a setback of that kind strengthens the hand of those in Yaoundé who would rather lock down every clause before signing.
Starlink Cameroon kits: customs seizures and the risks of grey-market buying
The April 2024 instruction targeting any Starlink Cameroon kit without type approval has never been lifted. In December 2025, while the agreement was moving forward, Digital Business Africa was still reporting seizures of kits by customs.
Getting across the border solves nothing. A kit registered in another country works in roaming mode for about two months, after which the operator asks the user to return to the country of purchase or cuts the line. So you pay for the hardware, plus a foreign subscription that costs more than the residential plan, and you risk losing everything after a few weeks.
Then there is the legal side. Using radio equipment without type approval exposes you to penalties under the law on electronic communications, and the resellers who offer kits on social media provide neither a usable invoice nor a warranty. Our advice is simple: buy nothing until the agreement has been signed.
Starlink Cameroon prices: neighbouring countries as a benchmark
The operator adjusts its prices to the purchasing power of each market. To estimate the future Starlink Cameroon price list, it therefore makes more sense to look at the neighbours than at French or American prices. The amounts below come from official announcements and from dated press reports; they may have moved since, as the company often changes its prices. Conversions from the dollar are approximate, based on roughly 560 FCFA to the dollar.
Starlink prices in Chad: the reference in the CEMAC zone
Chad signed with SpaceX on 13 March 2025 and opened the service in early July 2025, becoming the first CEMAC country to be served. Same currency, same central bank, a comparable level of income in rural areas: it is the best point of comparison for Starlink Cameroon. At launch, three residential plans were on offer.
- 50 GB: 12,000 FCFA a month (about €18).
- 250 GB: 18,000 FCFA a month (about €27).
- Unlimited: 32,000 FCFA a month (about €49).
- Kit: from 117,000 to 228,000 FCFA depending on the model (about €178 to €348).
Nigeria, Benin, Niger, DRC: noticeable gaps
- Nigeria: 57,000 naira a month and 318,000 naira for the kit in October 2025, according to TeleGeography, or about 22,000 FCFA (€33) and 121,000 FCFA (€184). New orders were suspended at the time in Lagos and Abuja for lack of capacity.
- Benin: about 30,000 FCFA a month (€46) and 400,000 FCFA for the kit (€610), according to TechCabal’s survey of March 2025.
- Niger: 54.90 dollars a month, or about 31,000 FCFA (€47), an amount higher than the average monthly income per inhabitant.
- DRC: around 51 dollars a month for the residential plan, or about 29,000 FCFA (€44).
The trend is clear: the unlimited plan hovers around 30,000 FCFA a month (about €46) across the sub-region, and the hardware varies by a factor of up to three depending on promotions and the dish model. Nigeria remains the cheapest market.
Starlink subscription price in FCFA: our estimate for Cameroon
No Starlink Cameroon pricing has been announced, either by the company or by the authorities. What follows is an estimate, and should be taken as such. The most likely scenario mirrors the Chadian price list: an entry-level plan with a data cap at between 12,000 and 18,000 FCFA a month (€18 to €27), and an unlimited plan at between 30,000 and 35,000 FCFA (€46 to €53). The standard kit would sit between 200,000 and 250,000 FCFA (€305 to €381), and the more compact Mini version at around 120,000 FCFA (€183).
Two factors could push the bill upwards. First, taxation: customs duties on the hardware, VAT at 19.25% and concession fees will end up in the retail price if the terms of reference impose them. Second, the cost of components, which has been climbing for all electronics since the RAM crisis.
At 32,000 FCFA a month (about €49), the offer would remain out of reach for most households: the International Telecommunication Union considers access affordable when it does not exceed 2% of monthly income. It makes far more sense when shared, however. A school, a health centre, a farming cooperative, a village internet café or a small business in Bertoua can spread the subscription over dozens of users. In town, up against fibre that is available and stable, the appeal is much slimmer.
What are the options until the official launch?
If you live in Douala, Yaoundé or a regional capital, fibre and the operators’ 4G home routers remain the rational choice, despite the outages. For isolated sites, VSAT providers licensed by the ART have existed for a long time; their prices are aimed at businesses, but they are legal and come with a contract.
Another avenue is taking shape. On 14 August 2026, Airtel launched Direct to Cell in the DRC, which lets a compatible 4G smartphone exchange SMS and WhatsApp messages via the satellites, with no dish or kit, in places where no ground-based mast exists. Nothing has been announced for Cameroon, where Airtel does not operate, but MTN is testing the same technology in Zambia. For people working in the field, a rugged phone with long battery life remains the best ally in the meantime: our pages on the Ulefone Armor 34 Pro+ and the Doogee V Max 2 Pro detail what these devices can do far from the network.
To follow the Starlink Cameroon file without relying on rumours, three sources are authoritative: the website of the Telecommunications Regulatory Board, that of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, and the operator’s availability map. The day the country switches to “available” there, orders will open on the official website, with a price in FCFA.
Key takeaways on Starlink Cameroon
The Starlink Cameroon file has never been so far advanced, and it is still not concluded. The agreement has existed on paper for ten months and the regulator has equipped itself to monitor satellite services. One signature is missing, and nobody is publicly committing to a date. Our reading: an opening before the end of 2026 remains possible but unlikely, and the first half of 2027 looks more realistic.
Until then, hold on to your money. A kit bought outside official channels can be seized, blocked or outdated on launch day. When Starlink Cameroon opens, expect around 30,000 FCFA a month (about €46) for the unlimited plan and 200,000 FCFA (about €305) for the dish, barring a pleasant surprise. We will update this article as soon as an official announcement is made.
Frequently asked questions
Is Starlink legal in Cameroon in 2026?
No, not yet. As of 3 October 2026, no concession agreement has been signed or published, and the company sells nothing in the country. The draft agreement and the terms of reference were finalised by the ART and sent to the supervising ministry at the end of November 2025, but the procedure has not been publicly completed. Importing or using a dish without type approval remains prohibited, and customs have had instructions to seize this equipment since the memo of 15 April 2024.
When will Starlink Cameroon be available?
No official date exists for Starlink Cameroon. The operator’s map mentions a launch starting in 2026, a deadline that has already been pushed back once. Everything depends on the State signing the agreement, and then on its approval. Once those acts are in place, the commercial opening can follow within a few weeks, as in Chad, where three and a half months separated the deal from the launch. A start in the first half of 2027 seems to us the most credible scenario, with no guarantee.
How much will Starlink Cameroon cost per month?
No Starlink Cameroon pricing has been announced. Going by Chad, the only neighbour in the CEMAC zone that is already open, one can expect a capped plan at between 12,000 and 18,000 FCFA a month (€18 to €27) and an unlimited plan close to 32,000 FCFA (€49). Benin and Niger show similar amounts, at around 30,000 FCFA. Local taxes and the fees provided for in the terms of reference may nevertheless change that calculation.
Can a Starlink kit bought in Nigeria or Chad be used in Cameroon?
Technically, the dish picks up the signal, but the practice is prohibited and precarious. The kit can be seized at the border if it has not been type-approved by the ART. If it gets through, it only works in roaming mode, limited to about two months outside the country of purchase, after which the account is suspended. It is better to wait for the official opening.
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