Namibia has refused permission for Elon Musk’s satellite internet company, Starlink, to operate within its borders, citing concerns over ownership and regulatory compliance, according to the nation’s telecommunications authority on Wednesday.
The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) stated that Starlink failed to fulfill all six legal requirements needed for a telecommunications licence, meeting only three. Consequently, the company was denied both a licence and access to the necessary radio spectrum.
CRAN explained that Starlink’s fully foreign-owned structure breaches Namibia’s ownership regulations, which mandate at least 51% local ownership unless a specific exemption is granted. The regulator noted, “For national defence and public security reasons, Starlink’s 100% foreign ownership raises significant regulatory issues regarding jurisdiction and enforceability of compliance obligations.”
Compliance and Legal Issues
The authority highlighted previous violations of the Communications Act, including Starlink’s failure to respond to a regulatory summons, describing the company’s behavior as showing a “total disregard for the governance framework of the sector.”
While the company satisfied criteria related to competition, technical and financial capacity, and frequency availability, CRAN emphasized that these alone were insufficient for approval.
Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, has been rapidly expanding its footprint across Africa since beginning operations in Nigeria in January 2023. By October, it was active in seven African nations Nigeria, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Malawi, and Zambia and has since expanded to at least 25 countries on the continent.
Despite its rapid rollout, Starlink has encountered regulatory challenges in several nations, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Cameroon, where state-owned telecom operators have pushed back. Namibia’s refusal represents a notable obstacle for the company’s ambitions in southern Africa.