Icasa drops the hammer on Starlink users in South Africa

Communications regulator Icasa said on Wednesday that it plans to crack down on the “unlawful” use of Starlink satellite internet services in South Africa.

Some South Africans have sourced Starlink equipment from local or international resellers and utilise the company’s international roaming feature to gain access to the platform, even though it hasn’t officially been licensed in the country. The crackdown comes amid a standoff between Starlink owner Elon Musk and the South African government over licensing rules that require 30% of the equity in a local telecommunications licensee to be in the hands of historically disadvantaged persons.

“Icasa has taken note with serious concern recent reports alleging that Starlink, a satellite internet service operated by SpaceX, may be offering its services within the Republic of South Africa without the requisite authorisation,” it said in a statement on Wednesday.

“To this end, Icasa has published a general notice under Government Gazette no 49777 reiterating that all entities offering electronic communications services within South Africa are required to comply fully with the applicable legislative and regulatory frameworks,” it said.

“The authority has also formally engaged [Starlink parent] SpaceX to seek clarity on the reported activities and is currently awaiting a response.”

It said it has instituted a formal investigation to “ascertain the veracity of the allegations and to gather relevant facts and evidence”. It also asked members of the public and “industry stakeholders in possession of any supporting evidence” to share the information “to assist with the investigation”.

Enforcement actions

“In the interim, Icasa has deployed inspection teams to conduct physical verifications in the affected areas. This operation is being executed in collaboration with other relevant organs of state to ensure a coordinated and lawful response,” it said.

“Should the investigation yield any breach with regulatory and legislative frameworks, the authority will explore the applicable enforcement actions within its disposal, which may include lodging a formal complaint with the International Telecommunication Union,”, said Icasa chairman Mothibi Ramusi.

Icasa’s concerns come on the back of tense relations between South Africa and the US, which peaked at a fiery White House press conference last week where the topic of Starlink’s licence was mentioned briefly by some of those in attendance.

Read: Starlink storm: BEE reforms fuel tensions in Ramaphosa’s GNU

Two days after the press conference, communications minister Solly Malatsi issued a policy directive to Icasa instructing the regulator to explore equity equivalence investment programmes (EEIPs) for the ICT sector. The minister said the two events weren’t linked.

EEIPs, extensively used in other sectors of the economy, give foreign entities alternatives to equity ownership that allow them to comply with broad-based black economic empowerment legislation. TechCentral reported in January that Starlink, in a written submission, formally asked Icasa to change the licensing requirements to allow for equity equivalents.

Earlier this week, Malatsi was asked by parliament to explain the timing of the directive and questioned about whether his intent was to use it as a way to fast-track Starlink’s licensing approval in South Africa.

Parliamentary communications committee portfolio chair, the ANC’s Khusela Diko, previously accused Malatsi of favouring Starlink and said the briefing was important to ascertain whether the minister was “exercising his executive powers in a rational and lawful manner”. Malatsi denied the allegations.

“This work predates the events of last week, which was the third layer of the events culminating in the gazette,” Malatsi told parliament. “I want to be clear that it is not about introducing a dispensation for any individual nor any company, or about introducing preference.”   – © 2025 NewsCentral Media

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