Low Internet Penetration in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Role of LEO Satellites in Addressing the Issue

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with an estimated population of 1.243 billion people as of December 2024, had the lowest mobile Internet penetration in the world at 29%, significantly below the global average of 58%. Moreover, SSA also had the lowest mobile data traffic per active smartphone, averaging 5 GB per month—about a quarter of the global average of 19 GB per month in 2024. This paper analyses the factors responsible for the low Internet penetration in SSA, which include limited Internet service availability, Internet device and service affordability, digital ability, government regulation and policy, and deficit of network-supporting infrastructure. The paper then discusses the popular Internet access networks in SSA and their limitations. It presents low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites as a possible access network for enhancing Internet penetration in SSA, giving examples of LEO network service deployment in some SSA countries. The paper discusses the feasible business models for LEO satellite Internet services in SSA, the challenges to LEO satellite service penetration, and possible solutions.