Senegal court provisionally freezes Starlink operating licence

Senegal's Supreme Court on September 7 ordered a provisional suspension of Starlink Senegal SUARL's five-year fixed satellite internet licence, granted by ministerial order 038974 of November 6, 2025, pending judicial review of a Sonatel challenge alleging excess of power. The freeze is an interim measure, not a final annulment; Starlink launched commercially in Senegal in February 2026 after Sonatel first complained on March 10. The government had cited about XOF 64 billion in savings and a social component covering one million people.