In the modern private spaceflight sector, launching rockets is no longer enough, aerospace firms increasingly need to own the payloads they carry. Rocket Lab has announced a massive $8 billion acquisition of Iridium Communications in a direct bid to secure the infrastructure needed to compete with SpaceX’s rapidly expanding Starlink network. Subject to regulatory approvals,…
Former DA leader Tony Leon Tony Leon has personally rejected allegations that the public affairs firm he chairs, Resolve Communications, used its proximity to DA leaders to lobby government ministers improperly on behalf of private clients – among them Elon Musk’s Starlink – and signalled that the firm is weighing legal action over what it…
Satellite operators wanting to launch a constellation-based service such as Starlink in South Africa cannot obtain the necessary network licence from the regulator at present, and their realistic route into the market is to acquire one from an existing licence holder, communications regulator Icasa has said. In a notice (PDF) published in the Government Gazette…
The entrance to the SpaceX rocket launch area in Brownsville, Texas. Veronica Gabriela Cardenas/Reuters SpaceX has told investors it plans to launch a Starlink mobile service for US consumers, the Financial Times reported on Friday, in a move that could allow the Elon Musk-led company to compete directly with Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. Here are…
Namibia’s communications regulator said on Monday, 22 June, it dismissed an appeal by Starlink against the rejection of its license applications, reaffirming that Elon Musk’s satellite internet provider failed to meet local ownership requirements. The silhouette of Elon Musk and Starlink logo are seen in this illustration taken 11 June 2026. Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo The…
Namibia’s communications regulator said on Monday it dismissed an appeal by Starlink against the rejection of its licence applications, reaffirming that Elon Musk’s satellite internet provider failed to meet local ownership requirements. The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (Cran) rejected Starlink’s applications for a telecommunications service licence and radio spectrum access licence in March, citing…
Starlink has yet to formally apply to operate in South Africa. While it has rapidly expanded across other African nations, South African-born Elon Musk’s satellite-based internet company Starlink is still to make a formal application to operate locally. This was signalled by the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT), in a written Parliamentary response…
Attending the official launch, from left: Said Alli, MD, Paratus Tanzania; Dr Katana – US embassy representative; Barney Harmse, chief development officer, Paratus Group; Dr Irungu Kang’ata, governor, Murang’a county; Joseph Kibwott, MD, Paratus Kenya; Martin Cox, chief commercial officer, Paratus Group; Ivan Busulwa – APHRC; Edwin Kyambadde – MD, Paratus Uganda Murang’a county has…
Councillor Thabisa Faye, chairperson of ICASA’s satellite licensing framework committee. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has published draft amendments to the Radio Frequency Spectrum Regulations, 2015, and the Radio Frequency Spectrum Fees Regulations, 2010, in terms of the Electronic Communications Act, 2005. The amendments are open to public comment for a period…
Communications regulator Icasa has formally signalled that it cannot give full effect to communications minister Solly Malatsi’s December 2025 policy direction on broad-based black economic empowerment without an amendment to the Electronic Communications Act (ECA). In a brief media statement on Wednesday, the regulator said it had communicated its position to the ministry and remained…
