- Despite warnings of cutting off users accessing its roaming service in areas with no official availability, SpaceX satellite Internet service, Starlink, has remained online in South Africa, MyBroadband noted.
- This comes over two months after Starlink emailed its roaming customers, informing them they would no longer be able to access its satellite Internet service in regions where the company is not authorised to do business, including South Africa.
- Meanwhile, following the warning, up to three African nations — Zimbabwe, Ghana, and Botswana — where Starlink was initially declared illegal and facing potential service cuts alongside South Africa have granted the company operational approval.
Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) warned in November 2023 that using or providing access to Starlink services in South Africa is illegal.
Icasa explained that for operators like Starlink to offer services legally in South Africa, they need Individual Electronic Communications Service (I-ECS) and Individual Electronic Network Service (I-ECNS) licences.
According to Starlink's availability map, the service date for South Africa is still unknown. However, it has reportedly been operational in South Africa since at least early 2023.
Obtaining a Starlink kit is done through third-party routes and countries where it is officially approved. Interested users order the kit, register it, and have it delivered to an address in an officially supported country or use a third-party importer like IcasaSePush, which sources and delivers it.
Speaking to MyBroadband, the company said that sales of Starlink kits fluctuated in May 2024 but increased again in June. The decline is attributed to the warning notice from Starlink, which scared away new customers who feared being cut off at any moment. According to the report, IcasaSePush expects sales to return progress in July 2024.
However, some factors that may be limiting Starlink's official launch in South Africa include the Electronic Communications Act that requires telecoms licensees to be 30% owned by historically disadvantaged groups (HDGs), an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for new electronic communications services licences is yet to be issued, and the proposed but suspended 30% black ownership for telecoms licensees.
