Nairobi, 16 February 2026 – The Africa’s telecommunications union (ATU), working with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and Amazon, has commenced an online capacity building programme on low earth orbit satellite internet services for policymakers, regulators and technical experts from its Member States.
The engagement comes at a moment when low earth orbit satellite constellations are moving from a specialised service layer to a mainstream connectivity proposition, with direct implications for broadband expansion, emergency communications and network resilience, particularly in areas where terrestrial rollout remains slow or uneconomic. This shift carries corresponding governance responsibilities, placing heavier demands on regulatory clarity, spectrum coordination, interference management and the long-term stewardship of orbital resources.
The training programme opened with a call for policy confidence and disciplined implementation. ATU Secretary General John Omo cautioned that as satellite internet services scale rapidly, regulatory hesitation carries real consequences for market stability and consumer protection. “The opportunity is substantial, and that is precisely why the duty of governance becomes heavier, not lighter,” he said, stressing that national frameworks must safeguard consumers, preserve equitable access to spectrum and create predictable conditions for investment.
The programme is sharpening Member States’ readiness to manage satellite internet services by strengthening decision making and by deepening technical capacity on coordination and interference management. It also anchors these discussions in the emerging realities of space safety and sustainability, recognising that regulatory credibility and service quality will increasingly be judged by how reliably networks coexist and how responsibly orbital resources are managed.
At the opening of the programme, partners stressed that the regulatory conversation has shifted from whether satellite internet matters to how it is governed. “The timing and focus of this workshop are especially pertinent. As you all know, non-geostationary constellations are reshaping the global connectivity landscape, offering new possibilities to serve underserved communities,” said Mr Mario Manievicz, Director of the ITU Radiocommunication
Bureau.
Speakers also noted that the scale of these constellations carries new responsibilities. Ms Aarti Holla Maini, Director of UNOOSA, cautioned that “Large constellations change how we share space. The questions raised by them are confronting regulators as they decide how and under which conditions these systems should operate in outer space”.
From an operational perspective, Mr Gonzalo de Dios, Head of Global Licensing and Regulatory Affairs at Amazon pointed to spectrum management, licensing frameworks and regional cooperation through continental mechanisms as core areas where alignment supports seamless service delivery, harmonised technical requirements and national security considerations.
To ground the discussion in current evidence and market direction, a central reference for the week’s deliberations is ATU’s report on Developments in Satellite Communications, which records that the satellite communications industry is in a period of unprecedented innovation, driven by multi orbit architectures, direct to device connectivity and the integration of artificial intelligence.
The report notes that direct to device capability, developed through the evolving 3GPP non terrestrial network framework, is expanding the possibility of satellite connectivity that complements mobile coverage and closes persistent gaps in underserved areas. It also situates this shift against the stark global baseline that approximately 2.6 billion people remain offline, further reinforcing the development importance of new connectivity models that reach beyond traditional infrastructure footprints.
ATU will use the outcomes of this programme to support Member States in strengthening national frameworks and promoting regional coherence on satellite internet regulation, particularly in areas where common positions improve Africa’s influence in global technical and regulatory processes.
ENDS
