While it has rapidly expanded across other African nations, South African-born Elon Musk’s satellite-based internet company Starlink is still to make a formal application to operate locally.
This was signalled by the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT), in a written Parliamentary response to African National Congress MP Shaik Imraan Subrathie.
Subrathie sought to determine the status of Starlink’s licence application to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA).
ICASA regulates South Africa’s communications and broadcasting sectors, including the licensing of electronic communications, network and broadcasting service providers.
Says the DCDT: “ICASA has confirmed it has not received any licence applications from Starlink for spectrum, Individual Electronic Communications Network Service (IECNS) and Individual Electronic Communications Service (IECS) licences, nor has it received any applications for the transfer of such licences.”
Starlink is the low-Earth orbit satellite constellation operated by SpaceX, providing satellite internet access coverage to over 60 countries.
Pretoria-born Musk, soon to be the world’s first trillionaire, has been eyeing bringing Starlink to his home country for some time now, criticising the regulatory and ownership requirements to make the service available locally. Starlink is operational in several neighbouring African countries.
Local law requires that telecoms operators meet ownership and empowerment conditions, including a minimum 30% stake held by historically-disadvantaged South Africans, which Starlink has not yet complied with.
Instead of selling a proportion of the entity to black-owned entities, Musk has lobbied for equity equivalent investment programmes (EEIPs) as an alternative. EEIPs are a mechanism through which international companies can secure empowerment status without a sale of equity.
In December, it seemed Starlink might be offered some reprieve when the final policy direction recognising EEIPs was gazetted, with ICASA directed to use these as an alternative to the Electronic Communications Act (ECA) requirement.
However, Starlink was dealt a blow last month when ICASA said changes to the law – the ECA – would be required to consider EEIPs as an alternative in issuing telecoms licences.
It reiterated that individual IECS/IECNS applicants or licensees must have a minimum 30% equity ownership held by persons from historically-disadvantaged groups.
Starlink has been cited as a key enabler towards bridging the rural connectivity gap.
Satellite broadband spreads
Analysis conducted by Karim Yaici, industry analyst at Ookla, shows that satellite broadband access is spreading across Sub-Saharan Africa.
According to the report, Starlink has already expanded to 27 African countries, beginning in Nigeria and Rwanda in 2023.
The number of served countries doubled in 2024, then nine more countries were added in 2025. Starlink is projected to cover 28 countries this month.
Despite this, it notes that Africa still represents a smaller segment of Starlink’s global user base. It reportedly reached an estimated half a million users by the end of 2025 on the continent, out of around 10 million globally, with the Americas and Asia leading.
“Demand for Starlink was driven by the unreliability of terrestrial internet infrastructure, as well as a combination of limited throughput, data allowances and low rural coverage of traditional broadband services.
“Starlink’s affordability varies widely across Africa compared to traditional broadband. For example, in Ghana and Zimbabwe, Starlink’s monthly plans are cheaper than those provided by internet service providers. On the other hand, fibre packages are cheaper than subscribing to Starlink in Nigeria, Kenya and Rwanda. In addition, the service remains inaccessible to most African households and businesses due to upfront kit costs ranging from $200 to $700.
“In some countries, Starlink kit costs are subsidised, primarily for schools and public institutions. For example, in Zimbabwe, the government funded the acquisition of thousands of Starlink kits for schools. In the Central African Republic, Starlink donated hundreds of kits for rural schools and health centres.”
While Starlink has made inroads in the region, the report highlights that this has not been without regulatory friction, noting South Africa as an example.
Even though it has not met the 30% local ownership requirement for service providers, Starlink has recently upped efforts to build public support.
“Starlink has already pledged at least $29 million to provide free high-speed internet to 5 000 South African schools and will invest $120 million to build local infrastructure. Despite this, a 2027 launch remains the likely timeline.
“Other regulators show greater flexibility. Uganda, for example, officially granted a licence after a turbulent period that included a complete network shutdown on 1 January. Uganda marks Starlink’s 27th African market, establishing a specific regulatory precedent focused on revenue assurance and strict data accountability.”
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