{"id":46034,"date":"2025-12-15T11:35:50","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T11:35:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/15\/why-south-africas-starlink-led-satellite-internet-push-is-running-into-political-resistance\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T11:35:50","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T11:35:50","slug":"why-south-africas-starlink-led-satellite-internet-push-is-running-into-political-resistance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/15\/why-south-africas-starlink-led-satellite-internet-push-is-running-into-political-resistance\/","title":{"rendered":"Why South Africa\u2019s Starlink-led satellite internet push is running into political resistance"},"content":{"rendered":"
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South Africa\u2019s efforts to expand satellite internet access, with Starlink at the centre of the debate, are facing mounting political resistance. <\/p>\n

Lawmakers are pushing back against a proposed shift in telecom ownership rules that could allow foreign satellite providers to operate without local equity participation, reports Bloomberg<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The dispute has reopened sensitive questions around economic redress, executive authority, and the balance between attracting global technology firms and protecting empowerment laws rooted in the country\u2019s post-apartheid framework. <\/p>\n

What began as a regulatory adjustment has now escalated into a parliamentary and political standoff.<\/p>\n

Policy shift triggers parliamentary pushback<\/h2>\n

The controversy stems from a policy directive issued last week by Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi.<\/p>\n

The directive asks the telecoms regulator to amend its licensing framework so that equity-equivalent investment programmes can count toward empowerment requirements. <\/p>\n

This would replace the current insistence on a 30% local Black ownership stake for telecom operators.<\/p>\n

Malatsi said the proposal followed a public consultation in which around 90% of submissions supported the change. <\/p>\n

The minister has framed the move as a way to modernise regulation and encourage investment in digital infrastructure.<\/p>\n

However, the parliamentary portfolio committee overseeing the telecom sector has called for the directive to be withdrawn, arguing that such a fundamental change cannot be made through executive notice alone.<\/p>\n

Starlink\u2019s market entry at stake<\/h2>\n

The proposed amendments would directly affect satellite internet providers, most notably Starlink, which is owned by SpaceX. <\/p>\n

Starlink has so far been unable to operate in South Africa because it does not meet the country\u2019s ownership requirements.<\/p>\n

Elon Musk, who was born in Pretoria, has refused to cede equity in SpaceX to comply with the rules. <\/p>\n

He has criticised South Africa\u2019s ownership framework, which was introduced to address economic exclusion created under apartheid.<\/p>\n

If the regulator adopts Malatsi\u2019s proposed changes, Starlink would be able to offer its services in the country without altering its ownership structure.<\/p>\n

Supporters of the shift argue that allowing Starlink to operate could improve connectivity, particularly in remote and underserved areas. <\/p>\n

Critics counter that the issue goes beyond internet access and strikes at the heart of empowerment policy.<\/p>\n

Authority and legal concerns raised<\/h2>\n

According to Bloomberg, Khusela Sangoni Diko, chair of the parliamentary portfolio committee on communications and digital technologies, has challenged both the substance and process of the directive. <\/p>\n

She has argued that the minister lacks the legislative authority to alter empowerment requirements unilaterally.<\/p>\n

The committee has warned that the directive risks obscuring existing law and effectively sidestepping the mandatory ownership threshold for historically disadvantaged groups. <\/p>\n

It has described the move as a threat to the principles of equity and redress that underpin South Africa\u2019s democratic transition. <\/p>\n

The committee is expected to convene in the new year to formally consider the issue.<\/p>\n

Coalition divisions deepen<\/h2>\n

The dispute has also highlighted fault lines within South Africa\u2019s coalition government. <\/p>\n

Malatsi is a member of the Democratic Alliance, while the African National Congress remains a strong defender of strict ownership-based empowerment rules.<\/p>\n

Differences over economic transformation have long divided the two parties, and the Starlink debate has sharpened those divisions.<\/p>\n

As parliamentary scrutiny intensifies, the outcome will influence not only Starlink\u2019s prospects in South Africa but also how the country navigates the tension between digital expansion and economic redress.<\/p>\n

The post Why South Africa\u2019s Starlink-led satellite internet push is running into political resistance<\/a> appeared first on Invezz<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

South Africa\u2019s efforts to expand satellite internet access, with Starlink at the centre of the debate, are facing mounting political resistance. Lawmakers are pushing back against a proposed shift in telecom ownership rules that could allow foreign satellite providers to operate without local equity participation, reports Bloomberg. The dispute has reopened sensitive questions around economic <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46035,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-46034","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-investing"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46034"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46034\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quickassetsmarket.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}