HIS Majesty King Mswati III has officially commissioned the Starlink Gateway Teleport.
He was represented by Prince Sicalo yesterday at the commissioning.
The king said the teleport is more than a technological milestone, but a declaration of intent for the country’s future.
“It is a great honour and privilege for me to join you today in the official commissioning of the Starlink Gateway,” said the king.
The ceremony marked a turning point for a nation long challenged by geography. He said the country’s rolling hills and scattered rural communities had made it difficult to build traditional telecommunications infrastructure.
The king acknowledged this reality candidly:
“Our people live across wide valleys and mountains where it is simply not practical or affordable to build mobile towers everywhere or lay fibre cables to every village. Even with the efforts of MTN Eswatini and Eswatini Mobile, significant gaps in connectivity have remained.
As a landlocked country, we depend heavily on fibre links passing through neighbouring nations,” added the king.
He stated that the country had no direct access to undersea cables, which leaves it vulnerable when those links are cut or congested.
“Most of our young people still lack reliable internet for school, business ideas, or healthcare. Today is a historic day as we are not just opening a building, we are opening the door to a connected, prosperous future for every young person in every corner of our kingdom,” further stated the king.
Powered by SpaceX through its low earth orbit satellite constellation, Starlink offers high-speed internet directly from space.
This innovation bypasses the need for extensive ground infrastructure, making it particularly suited to countries like Eswatini.
“This technology is made for countries like ours: vast, rural and determined to leap forward,” he said.
The project itself is the result of collaboration between Masterpart Technologies, Digital Parks Africa and Nova Edge.
Their work has positioned the kingdom as a forward-looking nation ready to embrace innovation. The king welcomed key partners, including Dynamite Obinna and Rebecca Hunter, saying he was confident that they will work very well with citizens.
“As a country we remain open for investment,” His Majesty said.
With the Starlink Gateway now operational, the possibilities are vast.
“Every school, clinic, farm and young entrepreneur can now be connected, no matter how remote. Beyond access, the technology also strengthens national resilience.
Starlink gives us true redundancy — if fibre links are disrupted, our country stays online.
Faster, more reliable connectivity means e-learning, telemedicine, online businesses, tourism apps, and jobs that were never possible before.”
…Gateway new chapter in development
THE gateway signals a new chapter in the country’s development.
“We wish to extend our warmest congratulations to government and the nation on this auspicious occasion,” the king said.
The country has long faced structural challenges in connecting its people. Its rugged terrain and rural population distribution have made it difficult to achieve nationwide coverage through conventional means.
The project also strengthens national resilience.
“We gain an independent connectivity path that does not rely solely on terrestrial routes through other countries. This independence is critical in ensuring stability and continuity in an increasingly digital world.
Collaboration has been central to the project’s success. Partnerships with Masterpart Technologies, Digital Parks Africa and Nova Edge have brought the vision to life. This paves the way for other providers to also co-locate on this site and optimise scale of economies,” His Majesty added.
