Namibia has ordered Starlink to cease all operations immediately, saying the satellite internet service owned by billionaire Elon Musk is operating without the required telecommunications licence.

“The public is hereby advised not to purchase Starlink terminal equipment or subscribe to its services, as such activities are illegal,” the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia said in an e-mailed statement. “Investigators have already confiscated illegal terminals from consumers and have opened criminal cases with the Namibian police in this regard.”

Get breaking news from TechCentral on WhatsApp. Sign up here

Demand for Starlink services in sub-Saharan Africa has soared in recent years as local operators often struggle to provide fast broadband internet, especially in areas far from cities, and in some cases people have traded and activated the terminals illegally.

The SpaceX-linked company’s terminals sold out in Zimbabwe’s capital in October, less than two months after receiving permission from authorities to operate in that country. Authorities in Angola and South Africa have said they are in talks with Starlink, as has Kenya’s biggest phone company Safaricom. In Namibia, a country bigger than Texas with a population of about 2.6 million, many people live far from main hubs and connectivity.

While Starlink has submitted an application for a telecoms service licence, it is still under review, the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia said. Until a licence is granted, the importation of Starlink terminal equipment and use of its services contravenes the law, it said.

Read: Starlink in South Africa: why equity equivalence makes sense

Starlink owner SpaceX didn’t immediately respond to an e-mail to its media desk seeking comment. The company’s website shows its service in Namibia will start in 2025. — Kaula Nhongo and Rene Vollgraaff, with Loni Prinsloo, (c) 2024 Bloomberg LP