Anybody holding their breath for local Starlink coverage should not start exhaling just yet.
All is not lost.
Solly Malatsi, Minister of Communications and Digital Technology has reiterated his plan to allow equity equivalence programmes (EEPs) in the ICT sector, which could enable SpaceX /Starlink to enter the local market. The EEPs would allow foreign firms to circumvent local ownership licence stipulations that have riled SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who has publicly aired his frustrations about.
However Malatsi appears to be looking beyond the spat in the interests of securing affordable broadband in the public interest. “First, we need to make it easier for businesses, both domestic and international, to offer affordable, fast, reliable broadband to every South African,” he wrote in a column published in the Sunday Times. “That is why one of the key targets for my department in the government’s Medium-Term Development Plan is a decision to allow businesses to contribute to empowerment through EEPs.”
The move is good news for all those – including the National Sea Rescue Institute – who wish to see Starlink’s service extended to South Africa.
New licence conditions could also facilitate other service offerings, including the Chinese ‘Starlink equivalent’ called SpaceSail or ‘Thousand Sails Constellation’ which already has 72 satellites in orbit.
South African clients may soon be able to shop around for their celestial benefits.