Starlink Denied License in Namibia Over Local Ownership Requirements
The satellite internet provider continues to face challenges expanding in southern Africa.
March 31, 2026 – Namibia has turned down Starlink’s bid to provide satellite internet services in the country, dealing another blow to the provider’s attempts to expand in southern Africa.
The company’s Namibian subsidiary, Starlink Internet Services Namibia Limited, had applied for a telecommunications service license and associated spectrum license, but was rejected by the country.
“Despite 98.6 percent public support during the consultation process, the application was not approved,” Starlink said in an update on March 23.
According to a notice in the Government Gazette, Namibia’s Communications Regulatory Authority said Starlink failed to meet ownership requirements, as none of its shares are held by Namibian citizens or citizen-controlled companies. The country would need to make an exception or ease guidelines for Starlink to operate under its current policy.
The rejection follows Starlink’s ongoing difficulties in securing a license in South Africa, due to that country’s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment program, designed to address the legacy of apartheid.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, which operates Starlink, who was born in South Africa, previously accused his home country of having “openly racist ownership laws” by requiring at least 30 percent local ownership by Black or other races that were denied opportunities under South Africa's apartheid system of white minority rule.
In January, Musk weighed in on the South African licensing complications, posting on X that “Starlink is not allowed to have an Internet provider license in South Africa for the sole reason that I am not Black.”
South African Communications Minister Solly Malatsi previously offered a potential workaround to foreign-owned telecommunication companies.
Last year, he put forth a directive that Starlink could operate in South Africa through things like contracts with local businesses, a move that would ease the 30 percent ownership rule.
Starlink has cited its commitment to improving rural connectivity throughout Africa, with slow or unreliable internet access as a major reason for seeking entry into both the Namibian and South African markets.
Namibia’s communications regulatory authority can reconsider the decision to reject Starlink’s application within 90 days as per section 31 of the Communications Act of 2009.
In its update from March 23, Starlink asked users to submit requests for appeal on the company’s behalf.
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