South Africa's government is seizing Starlink kits due to unauthorized operations
While Starlink is beaming high-speed internet from space, African regulators are busy pulling it back down to earth with local regulations.
South Africans in remote areas found a lifeline in Starlink’s fast internet, even though the service was never officially available in the country. But now, regulators are cracking down, seizing kits and cutting off connections.
So, how did we get here?
For nearly two years, Starlink has operated in a legal grey area in South Africa. The company never secured a license to operate locally, citing issues with South Africa’s Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) regulations—a condition it has consistently refused to meet.
People still found ways to get around that, though. A lot of people got Starlink kits from third-party sellers, registered them in nearby countries like Mozambique or Nigeria, and then used global roaming to stay connected at home.
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The government, on the other hand, did notice. It all began in the Northern Cape when the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) began its investigations. Officials seized equipment linked to SpaceX, Starlink’s parent company. Some resellers, like IcasaSePush, denied having any equipment confiscated or holding commercial relationships with Starlink.
Meanwhile, Starlink is running into similar regulatory hurdles across Africa. Ghana recently issued a one-month ultimatum to open a physical office and set up customer support or risk being shut down. In Lesotho, a civil society group demanded 30% local ownership before any license would be granted.
Kelechi Edeh
Back in South Africa, the pressure is mounting. Starlink has started suspending users on roaming plans, citing the country’s unauthorized status. Affected customers received emails saying their service would be cut unless they connected from a licensed region.
Now, South Africa sits at a crossroads, with surging demand for fast, rural internet on one hand and a firm commitment to local law on the other. And while regulators are clamping down, the appetite for Starlink doesn't seem to have gone anywhere.
