[imagesource:here]

Earlier this month, Starlink told customers that it would be terminating internet access in unauthorised countries, starting on 30 April.

Starlink customers may have to repurpose their inoperative 50cm x 30cm antenna as an expensive little coffee table after they become frozen out of the satellite internet provider’s service on Wednesday, May 1.

The Elon-Musk-owned company is not going to hook South Africans up with super fast internet anymore because they didn’t want to share ownership with locals as per the government’s requirements.

As Daily Maverick reports, Starlink refused to comply with the country’s BEE requirements to gift 30% ownership to local historically disadvantaged people.

Additionally, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) and the Minister of Communications failed to issue new communications licences in about 13 years.

Starlink’s high-speed broadband internet service is available globally through low-Earth orbit satellites, which support streaming, online gaming, video calls and more. In Africa, it is live in Nigeria, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Malawi, Zambia and Benin. Namibia and Lesotho expect service this year and even though it is still prohibited in Botswana and South Africa, Starlink has been working across most of the region thanks to its roaming features.

Where Starlink does not have approval to operate, customers have purchased satellite internet terminals through third-party suppliers and worked around the service restrictions through a roaming loophole.

Starlink is basically keen to complement mobile plans in the country, but only if they get the thumbs up from the regulators, per its terms of service:

“If you are operating your Starlink Kit in an area other than areas designated as ‘Available’ on the Starlink Availability Map, we would like to remind you that this is in violation of the Starlink Terms, and starting April 30th, 2024, you will be unable to connect to the internet except to access your Starlink account where you can make updates to your account.”

Starlink’s “Mobile – Regional” plans are meant for short trips, not for setting up shop in one spot permanently. They’re telling folks who’ve been using this plan for over two months outside the country they ordered from to either switch their account country or head back there, or else they’ll put the brakes on their service.

Starlink has applied for a licence to provide internet services in Zimbabwe, but in South Africa, the company is unlikely to do so because it would be incompatible with the Electronic Communications Act.

In an email, the company said:

“The goal of Starlink is to provide reliable high-speed, low-latency internet to people all around the world, especially for those in rural and remote areas where internet connectivity has not been available, unreliable or too expensive. To do so, we’re working as quickly as possible to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals from local governments globally to be allowed to offer Starlink services in as many places as possible.”

Icasa has not received any application for a licence from Starlink, nor has the company approached the Department of Communication and Digital Technologies (DCDT), the department told Daily Maverick. “It is of utmost importance to note that all licence applications have to go through Icasa and not DCDT,” they said.

While regulators and customers wait for Starlink to begin legitimate operations in the country, Saffas might be better off relying on already established and highly regarded South African internet service providers.

RSAWEB has earned some serious accolades with its products, including the top-rated Internet Service Provider on the Netflix Speed Index, the best-rated ISP on Google with over 10,000 reviews, and the two-time winner of KFM’s Best ISP award.

Sign up for fibre internet from South Africa’s best-rated internet service provider and experience gaming, streaming, working and learning from home like never before, with a price tag that fits your pocket.

[source:dailymaverick]