Connectivity News 7 August 2025

Internet Access Revolution: Starlink’s Global Surge, Broadband Booms & Outages – Aug 30–31, 2025

Key Facts Summary Starlink’s Global Surge and the Satellite Internet Race Low-Earth-Orbit (LEO) satellite internet continues its explosive growth, dramatically expanding global internet access. SpaceX Starlink, the largest LEO constellation, hit a new milestone in late August 2025 with over 7 million active subscribers worldwide spaceflightnow.com – up from 4 million a year prior – served by roughly 1,900 satellites launched just in 2025 so far spaceflightnow.com spaceflightnow.com. On August 30, SpaceX launched yet another Falcon 9 rocket carrying 28 Starlink satellites, its 77th Starlink launch of the year spaceflightnow.com, underscoring the company’s unprecedented pace (SpaceX aims for 170 orbital launches in 2025,

31 August 2025

Guyana’s Internet Boom: From Slow Starts to a Surging 2025 Connectivity Revolution

Overview of Internet Infrastructure in Guyana Guyana’s internet infrastructure has evolved from rudimentary beginnings into a more robust, modern network. The country – sparsely populated and covered in rainforest outside its coastal strip – long relied on a limited telecommunications setup. Until the 2000s, most Guyanese accessed the internet via dial-up or very slow broadband over copper phone lines. Today, that picture is dramatically different. Fiber-Optic Backbone: Guyana now boasts multiple fiber-optic cables carrying data domestically and internationally. One Communications (formerly GTT) and other operators have laid fiber routes along the populated coast and across parts of the interior. Notably,

30 August 2025

Connectivity · Digital Revolution · Guyana · Internet · Technology

Mauritania’s Internet Revolution: What You Need to Know About Satellite, Speed, and Access in 2025

As of early 2025, about 1.96 million Mauritanians were internet users, roughly 37% of the population. Under the National Digital Transformation Agenda 2022–2025, Mauritania planned to add 4,000 km of fiber backbone by 2025, and by mid-2024 had deployed about 5,500 km with another 2,300 km planned. ACE, landing in Nouakchott since 2012, was the country’s sole international link until 2025, when Mauritania contracted with EllaLink in July 2025 to extend a transatlantic cable with a 500 km Nouadhibou branch, with service due by early 2027. May 2025 marked the launch of Mauritania’s first national Internet Exchange Point (IXP) and

25 August 2025

Africa · Connectivity · Internet · NYSE:MAT · Technology · Telecommunications

How Guinea Is Quietly Getting Online: The Untold Story of Internet Access and Satellite Expansion

As of early 2023, Guinea had 13.46 million active cellular connections, about 96% of the population. The National Fiber Optic Backbone was completed in 2020, spanning 4,352 km, built by Huawei with a China Eximbank loan, connecting 33 prefectures and 62 cities and providing backhaul for mobile operators. Fixed broadband is extremely limited, with fewer than 900 fixed broadband subscribers in 2022. GFO, a newly licensed wholesale fiber provider, began offering open-access fiber interconnection in 2023 to lower costs and expand fiber links. Orange Guinée dominated the mobile market in 2024 with about 75% of subscribers; MTN Guinea held about

24 August 2025

Connectivity · Guinea · Internet · Satellite · Technology

Internet Access in Laos: The 2025 Guide to Coverage, Costs, and Satellite Connectivity

By 2023 Laos had laid over 98,500 kilometers of fiber-optic cable and operates 18 international transmission lines interconnecting with Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, and China. Mobile signal reaches 97% of villages nationwide, covering 8,245 villages across 18 provinces. As of late 2024, 2G coverage reached 97% of the population, 3G covered 85%, and 4G/LTE about 78%. 5G networks have been introduced on a limited scale, initially launched in Vientiane and a handful of major provinces. Unitel has over 5 million subscribers and roughly 50% of Laos’s mobile market share. LaoTel (Lao Telecom) has around one-third market share and over 3

23 August 2025

Connectivity · Internet · Laos · Satellite · Technology

Sierra Leone’s Internet Revolution: Mobile Boom, Fiber Dreams & Starlink’s Arrival

As of early 2025, about 1.8 million Sierra Leoneans used the internet, roughly 20% of the population. By 2024, 4G coverage reached about 79% of the population. The leading mobile operators are Africell, Orange (SL), and QCell, with the state-owned Sierratel in the process of privatization. Starlink arrived in Sierra Leone in 2023–2024, with hardware costing £150–£299 and a £75 monthly subscription, and it held about 2% of the ISP market by 2025. Cajutel Sarl has deployed fiber in Freetown and other cities, while One Broadband (formerly K3 Telecom) launched One Mobile and a limited 5G service. Orange SL reported

22 August 2025

Connectivity · Internet · Mobile Technology · Sierra Leone · Starlink

The Gambia’s Internet Revolution: How Fiber, 5G, and Satellite Broadband Are Connecting a Nation

The Gambia has used the ACE submarine fiber-optic cable since 2011, but a 2022 ACE outage knocked the country offline for over eight hours and backup links via Senegal failed, prompting plans for a second submarine cable landing in Banjul under the World Bank-funded Western Africa Regional Digital Integration Program (WARDIP). Gamtel launched the National Broadband Network (NBN) backbone in 2019 with Huawei’s support to extend high-speed links across the country. An Internet Exchange Point (IXP) was established in 2014 to localize Gambian internet traffic, though its impact has been muted so far. QCell launched the country’s first 5G service

20 August 2025

Africa · Connectivity · Internet · Technology · Telecommunications

Liberia’s Internet Revolution: How 4G, Fiber and Starlink Are Connecting Every Corner of the Country

As of early 2025, Liberia has about 1.84 million internet users, representing 32.4% of the population, up from 19% in 2019. There were over 5.11 million active mobile connections in 2025, roughly 90% of the population, with many Liberians owning multiple SIMs. By 2025, 87.2% of all mobile connections were on broadband 3G/4G networks, with 4G strongest in urban centers and along major highways. ACE submarine cable landed in Liberia in 2011, enabling fiber backhaul and connecting Monrovia to international bandwidth with over 80 major institutions connected. In 2021, the LTA licensed CSquared to deploy a 350 km open-access fiber

15 August 2025

Connectivity · Internet · Liberia · Technology · Telecommunications

No Signal? No Problem – Starlink’s Direct-to-Cell Satellites Are Eliminating Dead Zones

Direct-to-Cell Revolution: What It Is and When It Will Work in Your Country

In August 2022, SpaceX and T-Mobile announced a partnership to add Direct-to-Cell texting via Starlink satellites, enabling roaming coverage for remote areas using SpaceX’s constellation. SpaceX launched the first Direct-to-Cell–equipped Starlink satellites in early 2024, and by mid-2025 there were about 400 such satellites in orbit. On January 8, 2024, SpaceX successfully sent a text message from a regular smartphone via a Starlink satellite through T-Mobile’s network. Starlink’s Direct-to-Cell service is expected to start with texting in 2024, add voice calls in 2025, and deliver modest data speeds later. AST SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3 prototype uses a ~700 square-foot phased array

14 August 2025

Connectivity · Direct-to-Cell · Future Tech · Mobile Technology · NASDAQ:ASTS · NASDAQ:TMUS · Networks · NYSE:AMT · NYSE:BCE · NYSE:RCI · NYSE:T · NYSE:VOD · NYSE:VZ

Paraguay’s Internet Access in 2025: Shocking Facts about Connectivity, Providers, and the Starlink Effect

Paraguay had about 78% of its population online in 2025, below the Latin American average of about 85%, with urban usage over 80% and rural usage around 64%. 4G LTE networks now cover about 97% of the population, while commercial 5G had not launched as of 2023, with a 2024–2025 auction planned to reach 50% coverage a year after launch. Fixed broadband penetration is about 13% of the population, with urban fiber delivering roughly 100–150 Mbps and a national fiber backbone of about 18,000 km as of 2021. The internet market is dominated by Tigo Paraguay at about 42% share,

13 August 2025

Connectivity · Internet · NYSE:AMX · Paraguay · Providers · Starlink

Complete Guide to Internet Access in Sri Lanka: Fiber, 4G, and Satellite Expansion

As of early 2025, Sri Lanka has 29.3 million mobile subscriptions, exceeding its population. SLT’s national fiber backbone spans about 45,000 km. By mid-2022, SLT had infrastructure for 1 million fiber connections, with about 500,000 households connected, and aimed to reach 2 million by end-2023. 4G LTE coverage is essentially 100% of the population as of 2024, with 2G nearly 100%. Dialog Axiata and Mobitel have begun pre-commercial 5G trials, with live test zones in Colombo delivering speeds over 500 Mbps. TRCSL licensed SpaceX Starlink Lanka in August 2024 to provide nationwide satellite broadband under a five-year license. In March

8 August 2025

Broadband · Connectivity · Internet · Sri Lanka · Technology

Lightning-Fast Liechtenstein: Inside Europe’s Most Connected Country in 2025

By the end of 2023 Liechtenstein completed a nationwide Fiber-to-the-Home rollout, connecting 99%+ of buildings to gigabit fiber and making LKW the passive network owner. As of early 2025, internet penetration is 97.3% with about 38.9k users out of 40k. The median fixed download speed is about 189 Mbps (Jan 2025), with fiber available to every home. Liechtenstein has three mobile operators—FL1, Swisscom Liechtenstein, and 7acht (Salt LI)—with 4G LTE coverage around 99% of the population, and 5G launched in 2023, reaching over 80–90% of residents by 2025. The open-access fiber network is owned by the state utility LKW, leased

7 August 2025

Connectivity · Digital Innovation · Europe · Liechtenstein · Technology

Connectivity News 7 August 2025 - 31 August 2025