Why Namibia slammed the door on Starlink

Namibia declined licence applications from Elon Musk’s satellite internet provider Starlink for failing to satisfy ownership and compliance criteria, the country’s telecommunications regulator said on Wednesday.

A notice in the Southern African country’s Government Gazette on Monday showed Starlink’s applications for a telecommunications service licence and access to radio spectrum had been turned down.

The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia said in a statement that Starlink had met only three of the six criteria required by law.

SpaceX, parent company of Starlink, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The regulator said Starlink did not comply with ownership requirements as it is wholly foreign-owned and had not obtained an exemption from the statutory obligation for a minimum of 51% Namibian ownership.

For national defence and public security reasons, the regulator said Starlink’s business model with 100% foreign ownership raised material regulatory considerations concerning jurisdiction and enforceability of compliance obligations.

Cease and desist

Starlink had previously contravened the country’s Communications Act and failed to respond to a summons from the regulator, showing “a total disregard for the governance framework of the sector”, it added.

Starlink’s applications did meet competition, technical and financial capacity, and frequency availability criteria, the regulator said.

Starlink operates in several African countries but has faced regulatory challenges in others and resistance from state telecommunications monopolies in others.

Read: Namibia rejects Starlink

In November 2024, the Namibian regulator imposed a cease-and-desist order on Starlink, saying it had been operating without a licence. SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment at the time.  — Nyasha Nyaungwa, (c) 2026 Reuters