Starlink pulls the plug on SA

Starlink users in SA will have their satellite internet services terminated at the end of the month due to violation of its terms and conditions, the company has warned. Starlink has notified local users that their services will be terminated on 30 April. Starlink has a fleet of thousands of low earth orbit satellites that have been able to provide high-speed, low latency Internet almost anywhere around the world. Fin24 reports that his has been viewed as a game changer in rural areas, which have historically been difficult to connect profitably. The company is owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX. Starlink has been unable to obtain a licence to operate from the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa), with local ownership requirements from historically disadvantaged backgrounds seen as the main stumbling block. Icasa has said that any applicant needs to be 30% owned by historically disadvantaged groups to be considered for an operating licence. Thousands of South Africans, assisted by ISPs, took out roaming packages in countries where Starlink was licensed to operate and used the devices locally. Icasa clarified that this was illegal in a Government Gazette published in November. Starlink is already live Mozambique and eSwatini, and is expected to launch in many other African countries in the newt few months.