Musk's Starlink Denied Namibia Licence for Ownership and Compliance Reasons

WINDHOEK, March 25 (Reuters) - Namibia declined licence applications from Elon Musk's satellite internet provider Starlink for failing to satisfy ownership and compliance criteria, the country's telecommunications regulator said on Wednesday.

• A notice in the Southern African country's government gazette on Monday showed Starlink's applications for a telecommunications service licence and access to radio spectrum had been turned down.
• The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia said in a statement that Starlink had met only three of the six criteria required by law.
• SpaceX, parent company of Starlink, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
• The regulator said Starlink did not comply with ownership requirements as it is wholly foreign-owned and had not obtained an exemption from the statutory obligation for a minimum of 51% Namibian ownership.
• For national defence and public security reasons, the regulator said Starlink's business model with 100% foreign ownership raised material regulatory considerations concerning jurisdiction and enforceability of compliance obligations.
• Starlink had previously contravened the country's Communications Act and failed to respond to a summons from the regulator, showing "a total disregard for the governance framework of the sector," it added.
• Starlink's applications did meet competition, technical and financial capacity, and frequency availability criteria, the regulator said.
• Starlink operates in several African countries but has faced regulatory challenges in others and resistance from state telecoms monopolies.
• In November 2024, the Namibian regulator imposed a "cease-and-desist order" on Starlink, saying it had been operating without a licence. SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment at the time.