Resources giant Anglo American conducted a trial of SpaceX’s satellite internet service, Starlink, in South Africa, documents filed with communications regulator Icasa show.
The trial took place with Icasa’s permission, according to a letter Anglo American submitted to the regulator and published on its (Icasa’s) website ahead of public hearings on planned amendments to the licensing framework for satellite services, which are scheduled for the first week of February.
The letter, which is signed by one of Anglo American’s executive directors in South Africa, Fiona Edmundson, said its tests of the Starlink service have “yielded positive results”.
“We see satellite services like Starlink as an incredible opportunity to provide access to internet connectivity to remote areas that currently either have unreliable access or no access at all,” Edmundson wrote.
She said amendments to the regulations should be designed to allow South Africa to “maintain pace with other jurisdictions that are already rolling out such technology”.
Anglo American has proposed that Icasa should make licensing simpler. It said it supports the approach of having a separate licence or authorisation for each segment of satellite communication but recommended that the licensing framework provide for integrated and standalone licences for each of the segments.
This would “accommodate for situations like our need to pilot and trial technology”, said Edmundson.
Exemptions and trials
She said provision for exemptions and trial licences should be created to allow end users and others to test new technologies. She also said there should be flexibility in spectrum licence fees, where appropriate, to foster uptake, particularly in rural areas.
TechCentral reported earlier on Tuesday that SpaceX, in its own submission to Icasa, has asked the regulator to rethink the rules requiring 30% shareholding by “historically disadvantages” groups in service and network licensees.
Read: Starlink to kick off direct-to-phone satellite pilot
The submission revealed that SpaceX has established a South African subsidiary called SpaceX Internet Services South Africa (Pty) Ltd to facilitate the launch of Starlink in the country. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media
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