Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, Starlink, is in talks with the South African government to launch its operations in the country, President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed. These discussions are part of broader plans for potential investments by Musk, the world’s richest man, in South Africa.
Musk, who was born in South Africa, and Ramaphosa have already spoken about the satellite service’s entry into Africa’s largest economy. “I’ve had discussions with him, and I’ve said, ‘Elon, you’ve been incredibly successful and are investing in various countries. It’s time to come home and invest here,’” Ramaphosa said.
Starlink, owned by Musk’s SpaceX, provides high-speed broadband internet via a network of approximately 5,500 satellites deployed since 2019. It currently serves 2.6 million users worldwide. While the service is already available in 16 African countries, including Zimbabwe, it remains unavailable in South Africa due to regulatory hurdles. Responding to a post on X , Musk mentioned that Starlink is “waiting for regulatory approval” to operate in South Africa.
One potential challenge is South Africa’s requirement for companies to have a level of black ownership to address disparities from apartheid. Whether Starlink can meet these requirements or negotiate alternative arrangements remains to be seen.
Starlink has faced similar challenges in other major economies like Taiwan, where local ownership rules have delayed its launch. However, the service’s global expansion continues, with high-profile partnerships like United Airlines, which recently signed a deal to use Starlink for inflight Wi-Fi.