Spacecoin takes on Starlink with blockchain satellites in Kenya

On today's edition of Techpoint Digest, we discuss how Spacecoin takes on Starlink with blockchain satellites in Kenya, the startup powering AI for African businesses, and Paystack buying a bank.

Cześć’,

Victoria from Techpoint here,

Here’s what I’ve got for you today:

Spacecoin takes on Starlink with blockchain satellites in Kenya

The startup powering AI for African businesses

Paystack buys a bank, enters lending

Spacecoin takes on Starlink with blockchain satellites in Kenya

Image credit: Spacecoin

Yesterday, I told you that Amazon’s Project Kuiper got regulatory approval to enter Nigeria. Well, Africa’s satellite Internet space is getting even more crowded. Another challenger is stepping onto the field, this time in Kenya.

Spacecoin has secured a transmission licence from Kenya’s Communications Authority, clearing the way for it to test satellite Internet and IoT monitoring services in the country. 

If you don’t know, Spacecoin is a startup trying to build a new kind of Internet using satellites instead of phone or cable companies. It uses blockchain tech to help run the network so no single company controls it. Think of it as a space-Internet startup with Web3 tech, not just another crypto coin.

The approval allows the company to roll out trials of its blockchain-based satellite network, with Spacecoin handling the space infrastructure while local partners manage ground operations and customer support. Kenya is a deliberate choice: it’s East Africa’s tech hub but still struggles with deep rural connectivity gaps.

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On paper, Spacecoin is taking a very different route from Starlink. Instead of a centralised satellite network, it’s building a decentralised system powered by blockchain, where users pay via the Creditcoin network. The promise is a more open, censorship-resistant internet that doesn’t rely on a single company controlling access.

Starlink already operates in Kenya and 25 other African countries, with a massive head start that includes over 8,000 satellites in orbit and millions of users globally. That scale gives SpaceX serious advantages in speed, reliability, and pricing. For Spacec...