“This Would Be A Game Changer” – Prominent Zim Journalist Appeals To World’s Richest Man Elon Musk

Prominent Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono appealed to the world’s richest man Elon Musk.

Replying to Musk’s tweet, Chin’ono appealed to the SpaceX owner to make the Star Link service available in Zimbabwe saying that it would be a game changer.

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk took to Twitter on Monday to appeal to wellwishers to donate Starlinks to places in need. Musk said:

Are there others that want to donate Starlinks to places in need?

He was responding to fellow entrepreneur co-founder and Chipper CEO Ham Serunjogi who was marvelling at how efficient the Starlink service is. Serunjogi also said he was open to committing money to donate Starlink to less privileged schools and hospitals in Uganda. Serunjogi wrote:

Just installed Starlink and quite impressed with initial speeds & ease of setup. Most excited about its potential to bring internet access to remote & rural areas that lack infrastructure.

@elonmusk I’d be glad to commit $$ to donate Starlink to schools & hospitals in Uganda.

In response, Elon Musk asked if there were others who were open to donating Starlink to areas in need.

Prominent Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono then seized the opportunity and appealed to the billionaire to furnish him with information on how the service can be made available in Zimbabwe.

Chin’ono asked if there were any regulatory issues at a country or individual level. He asked:

Hey @elonmusk,How do we get this to places like Zimbabwe?

Are there any regulatory issues or individuals can get connected when they have fulfilled your side of things?

Starlinks would be a game changer just like the mobile phone for unconnected places in Africa.

At the time of writing, Elon Musk had not responded to Hopewell Chin’ono.

To enjoy the Starlink service one would need a satellite dish and a router. Even that is set to change since Starlink partnered with T-Mobile in the US to create a new service that connects mobile phones with Starlink satellites.

In 2021, ZimPriceCheck reported that Zimbabweans can place pre-orders for Elon Musk’s satellite internet service Starlink.

If you have a USD prepaid card as well as US$99 you can place your order now but for Starlink to operate in Zimbabwe then it will have to go to POTRAZ and register as an ISP.

The Starlink service will soon be in Zambia following reports that it now covers the whole earth.

-iharare