Namibia has denied Elon Musk’s satellite internet company, Starlink, the right to operate in the country, citing ownership and regulatory compliance concerns, the nation’s telecommunications regulator announced on Wednesday.
- Namibia has denied Starlink the license to operate in the country due to ownership and regulatory compliance concerns.
- The regulator, CRAN, stated Starlink only met three out of six legal requirements for a telecommunications license.
- Namibia requires at least 51% local ownership for telecom companies, but Starlink is 100% foreign-owned.
- CRAN cited Starlink’s previous legal breaches and failure to respond to regulatory summons as factors in the decision.
The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) said Starlink failed to meet the six legal criteria required for a telecommunications licence, satisfying only three. The company was denied both a licence and access to radio spectrum.
According to CRAN, Starlink’s wholly foreign-owned structure violated Namibia’s ownership rules, which require a minimum of 51% local ownership unless an exemption is granted. “For national defence and public security reasons, Starlink’s 100% foreign ownership raises material regulatory considerations concerning jurisdiction and enforceability of compliance obligations,” the regulator said.
DON’T MISS THIS: Namibia blocks Elon Musk’s Starlink from operating in the country
Compliance and Legal Concerns
CRAN also stressed previous breaches of the Communications Act, including Starlink’s failure to respond to a regulatory summons, describing the conduct as a “total disregard for the governance framework of the sector.”
The regulator noted that while Starlink met the competition, technical and financial capacity, and frequency availability criteria, these were insufficient to secure approval.
Starlink, operated by SpaceX, has been rapidly expanding across Africa since its launch in Nigeria in January 2023. By October of that year, it was active in seven countries—Nigeria, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Malawi, and Zambia—and has since grown to at least 25 African nations.
Despite its rapid growth, Starlink has faced regulatory hurdles in several countries, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Cameroon, where state-owned telecom operators have expressed resistance. Namibia’s decision marks a significant setback for the company’s ambitions in southern Africa.
