One of the latest and biggest satellite systems in the world, Starlink, has expressed interest in commencing operations in Namibia by next year. Starlink uses a low earth orbit to deliver broadband internet capabilities, and the business is already active in a few African nations.
Users worldwide now access high-speed, low-latency internet – thanks to Starlink.
“Starlink has initiated discussions with the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) regarding the licensing framework in Namibia. However, they have not submitted a formal license application,” said CRAN CEO Emilia Nghikembua last week.
In response to queries from New Era, Nghikembua said offering telecommunications services in Namibia may only be done with a licence duly issued by CRAN in terms of the Communications Act (No. 8 of 2009).
Meanwhile, the local telecommunications industry anticipates that the arrival of Starlink will significantly increase the level of competition in the market. Both Telecom Namibia (TN) and Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC) were unable to respond at the time of going to print when questioned about their predictions for the domestic market.
As per a News24 article, Starlink may receive licences to operate in other African nations, such as Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini and Botswana, by 2024. Meanwhile, Starlink’s licencing process in South Africa has come to a standstill.
The article elaborated that as Starlink does not currently possess an operational licence from the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa), it is unable to provide services in that country.
If Starlink does not meet certain requirements, the communications register will not be able to give the company an operating licence.
Moreover, some of Starlink’s rival satellite internet companies have started indicating their intention to commence operations in South Africa – even as Starlink works to overcome legislative obstacles in that country. Earlier this year, CRAN stated that competition in Namibia’s information and communications technology sector may promote market efficiency, encourage innovation and ultimately benefit consumers.
One of the initiatives the regulatory authority suggested is selling off State-owned enterprises that are operating in the ICT sector to private investors.
“This could promote competition by creating new market players. MTC and TN would potentially compete more with each other if owned by different private sector companies, compared to the current situation, where both are controlled by the State,” reads a draft market saturation report.
-mndjavera@nepc.com.na