Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Solly Malatsi.
Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi this week said Elon Musk’s broadband internet service company, Starlink, has not submitted applications to the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) in order to operate in the country.
Malatsi was responding to written parliamentary questions from ANC MP Imraan Subrathie, who asked about the current status of Starlink's licence application before the Icasa, as well as the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) compliance conditions while they remain outstanding.
Subrathie also inquired whether any engagement has taken place between the department and Musk’s space company, Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, popularly known as SpaceX, to find a lawful transformation-compliant pathway to enter the South African market.
In his response, Malatsi said Icasa has confirmed that it has not received any licence applications from Starlink for spectrum, Individual Electronic Communications Network Service (I-ECNS), and Individual Electronic Communications Service (I-ECS) licences.
