Starlink Congestion in Harare: A Signal of High Demand for Quality Internet

If you’ve been enjoying the fast internet that Starlink brought to Harare, the recent slowdown in speeds may feel like a cruel twist. Social media is flooded with complaints, with many users sharing their frustration over the internet crawling during peak hours. The culprit? Congestion. Starlink has confirmed that Harare is experiencing significant network congestion, and as a result, the city has shifted from "available" to "waitlist" on the Starlink map.

In response, Starlink has also paused accepting new orders in Harare until the situation improves—a tough pill to swallow for anyone hoping to get online with the satellite service. So, what exactly is happening, and how long will it take before things get back to normal?

Why Harare Is Feeling the Pinch

Starlink’s internet service, while a game-changer for rural and underserved areas, wasn’t originally designed to handle the dense populations of cities. Cities like Harare, where local ISPs struggle to provide quality service, have seen a surge in Starlink adoption. With the recent spike in Starlink kit activations, the service in Harare has hit its capacity limit, causing a bottleneck. And as we’ve learned from Starlink's own support team, the slowdown is especially severe during peak hours—between 6 PM and 11 PM—when everyone is trying to get online at once.

But the congestion issue isn’t limited to Harare. Similar situations have played out in cities across the globe. In the United States, certain parts of Los Angeles and areas of northern California experienced significant slowdowns, but those were eventually resolved after more satellites were launched and infrastructure improvements were made.

In Harare, the problem has been exacerbated by Starlink’s growing popularity. As more households adopt the service, the strain on the satellite network increases, particularly for users with residential accounts who don’t get bandwidth priority. Business accounts seem to fare a little better, but they too are feeling the squeeze. Until Starlink scales up, residential users are left to contend with slower speeds during peak times.

How Starlink Satellites Get Congested

 Starlink operates in a way that feels like science fiction turned reality. Thousands of small satellites orbit Earth at low altitudes, transmitting internet signals to users' Starlink kits. These kits then send signals back to the satellites, which relay the data to one of Starlink's ground stations before returning it to the user. However, these satellites have their limits. Each satellite can only handle a certain number of users at once before things start to slow down—much like how a highway can only support so many cars before traffic grinds to a halt.

In densely populated urban areas, Starlink's satellite network can quickly become congested. And that’s exactly what we’re seeing in Harare. Starlink openly admits that its system was never designed for heavily populated cities, but due to the poor performance of local ISPs, urban users have flocked to the service in droves.

What’s Being Done to Fix It?

While the congestion in Harare might feel frustrating now, Starlink is actively working to solve the issue. One of the ways they’re doing this is by launching more satellites, which will help distribute the load and reduce congestion. Additionally, ground stations are being built to support Starlink’s satellite network, which will help lower latency and increase speeds.

In Nigeria, construction of ground stations is already underway in Lagos, Sagamu, and Port Harcourt. The Lagos station is expected to be completed by the end of 2024, and once operational, it should help boost Starlink’s capacity for users in southern Africa, including Zimbabwe. There’s also a proposal for a ground station in South Africa, which would further improve the situation.

The Road to Recovery

Congestion is not new for Starlink. It has happened before in other regions, and in most cases, the company has been able to resolve the issue. So, it’s only a matter of time before Harare sees improvements. In the meantime, local ISPs should see this as an opportunity to step up. Starlink’s success—and now its congestion—shows that Zimbabweans are willing to pay for high-quality internet. If local providers can offer competitive pricing and better service, they might win back some of the customers who jumped ship to Starlink.

The congestion issue highlights a broader challenge: Zimbabwe’s need for better, more reliable internet infrastructure. Starlink was never meant to be the only solution for densely populated areas. Yet, the poor performance of traditional ISPs has forced urban users to turn to the service anyway. This scenario shows that while satellite internet can work in the city, it struggles under the pressure of too many users.

For now, Starlink users in Harare may have to exercise patience. The congestion will eventually clear, but it could take time. In the meantime, local ISPs should be paying close attention—this is their moment to rise.