We hope you weren’t holding out hope, or your breath, for SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service to launch in South Africa. The service’s webpage has updated the estimated timeline for a rollout in South Africa. We’ve been moved from the ‘waitlist’ to the ‘coming soon’ list.
A watchful watcher
We’re always keeping an eye on internet things. The Starlink coverage map is no exception. We’re aware of a dedicated Starlink coverage specialist whose only job is to refresh the page and tell folks when something changes. Well, that person realised yesterday, 14 September 2022, that the service changed from indicating it would be available in SA in 2023 to “Service date is unknown at this time”.
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If it’s any consolation, SA isn’t the only country that has been shafted. Our neighbours Namibia, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe display the same message. Curiously, Botswana, Eswatini, and Mozambique are still on track to receive the service. Mozambique made the “Starting Q4 2022” list and Botswana and Eswatini will need to wait a little longer, until next year.
With no concrete evidence for the reason why South Africa has been relegated from the starting African rollout, we’re left to speculate.
Our crystal speculation ball says…
One of the more likely scenarios is that the service faces regulatory hurdles in the country. There are many boxes to tick as a prospective Internet service provider in this country. One of them is the necessity for 30% black ownership. Another hurdle would be the radio frequency spectrum that Starlink would need to operate within.
We can’t speak to whether SpaceX satisfies the first criteria and ICASA’s list of licensees hasn’t been updated since May 2020. There’s no telling if Starlink has applied for the necessary licenses yet, or if that process remains ongoing.
If you’ve preordered the service we hope you’ve learned your lesson. Preorders are a bad idea.
The update to the coverage map could just be a technicality until SpaceX has all its regulatory ducks in a row. Or preorder users might need to start looking up how to get a refund.
Either way, don’t preorder.
