Starlink parent SpaceX has withdrawn its planned participation this week in public hearings into the proposed new licensing framework for satellite services in South Africa, TechCentral has learnt.
The oral hearings, which have been called by communications regulator Icasa, kicked off in Pretoria on Wednesday, with SpaceX scheduled to make a presentation in the morning. But representatives of the Elon Musk-controlled SpaceX did not pitch up to present at its allocated timeslot.
According to an Icasa spokeswoman, SpaceX notified Icasa on Wednesday evening that it would no longer participate in the oral presentations. The company had already made a written submission, which has not been withdrawn. It’s not clear why SpaceX decided to withdraw from the hearings – the company couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
The withdrawal by SpaceX follows a post by Musk on his social media platform X that asked President Cyril Ramaphosa why the country has what he called “openly racist ownership laws”.
The post has stirred division in South Africa over black economic empowerment laws and the Expropriation Act, which Ramaphosa controversially signed into law last month.
Marco Rubio, the newly appointed US secretary of state, on Thursday announced he was withdrawing from the upcoming G20 summit in South Africa, citing the country’s land reforms and its allegedly anti-American stance.
Following the Trump and Musk posts, Ramaphosa spoke with Musk about what the president’s office called “misinformation about South Africa”, especially regarding land reform.
Written submission
In its written submission to Icasa ahead of this week’s public hearings, SpaceX told the ICT sector regulator that it ought to rethink the rules requiring 30% shareholding by “historically disadvantaged” groups, TechCentral reported last week.
“Many foreign satellite operators, particularly those with direct-to-consumer business models, have global policies that prevent local shareholding, thus excluding them from the South African market. This holds true even when these operators are willing to comply with B-BBEE requirements and invest in initiatives that directly benefit the target communities,” the submission said, referencing broad-based black economic empowerment rules in the licensing process.
Read: iPhones get Starlink direct-from-space connectivity in trial
“By aligning the licensing and ownership regulations with the ICT sector code – which recognises equity equivalent programmes as an alternative to local shareholding – Icasa could remove a significant barrier to foreign satellite operators. This would not only increase foreign investment in South Africa but would also create broader industry benefits, supporting innovation, competition and long-term growth,” SpaceX said.
Communications minister Solly Malatsi in October called on Icasa to make similar interventions, arguing that by lowering regulatory hurdles that inhibit investment in South Africa’s ICT sector, Icasa could help drive economic growth.
But Icasa has been criticised at this week’s hearings for focusing on satellite services instead of taking a broader industry approach to reviewing licensing. The Association for Communications and Technology (ACT), which represents South Africa’s main telecommunications operators, said in a presentation on Wednesday that Icasa’s review process was flawed because it could lead to “the benefit of some and not others”. ACT wants licensing rules – including the conditions attached to those licences – to be the same for all players to ensure a fair playing field.
Read: SpaceX asks Icasa to overhaul BEE rules for Starlink launch
Icasa’s public hearings continue until Friday, with various industry stakeholders – including both satellite and mobile operators – scheduled to deliver oral presentations. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media
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