In what is a historic breakthrough for African railways connectivity, Airtel Africa has successfully tested satellite internet on a moving train in Sub-Saharan Africa. The successful tests have proven that uninterrupted high-speed internet can now be delivered across 669 kilometres of forested, remote terrain, where traditional cell towers and fibre optics don't reach.
Railways have been a lifeline for sub-Saharan Africa, transporting millions of tonnes of freight and hundreds of thousands of passengers every year. Until now, much of these railways' vast stretch ran through areas cut off from modern connectivity. With the successful satellite trials, this is no longer the case.
Powered by Airtel Satellite for Business and Eutelsat OneWeb's low-earth orbit LEO satellite constellation, the tests kept the train connected throughout most of the journey between key cities. The connection proved strong, reliable, and remarkably stable, even as the train travelled through dense forest.
