Starlink Offers Jobless Youth in South Sudan a Profitable Venture

(Juba) – An emerging model of micro-entrepreneurship using Starlink internet is gaining attention across Juba. With little or no IT knowledge, young people are learning to create small businesses by selling internet access in popular public areas like tea spots, local cinemas (commonly called Naadi), and universities.

The basic setup involves purchasing a Starlink internet kit, a Mikrotik router, and a TP-Link outdoor access point. These three items form the foundation of a mini Wi-Fi hotspot business. The Starlink system provides high-speed internet via satellite, while the Mikrotik router controls how users connect and pay for access. The TP-Link access point extends Wi-Fi coverage over a wide area, allowing more people to connect.

Here is how it works: the router is configured to create vouchers—these are time-based access codes. For example, one hour of Wi-Fi can be priced at 1,000 South Sudanese Pounds (SSP), which is approximately $0.83 at current exchange rates (1 USD ≈ 4,600 SSP in June 2025, officially).

This small business model, though simple, has surprising earning potential. Selling 100 vouchers a day at 1,000 SSP each generates 100,000 SSP daily. Over 30 days, that adds up to 3,000,000 SSP or around $2,500 per month. After deducting the Starlink monthly subscription of $50, the business could earn roughly $2,450 in net profit, a significant amount by local standards.