Starlink pushes for rule change as Namibia weighs full foreign ownership bid

Key topics:Starlink seeks Namibia license without giving up majority ownershipRegulator weighs easing 49–51% local-ownership rules for telecom firmsPublic urged to support rule change to boost rural internet access.Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..By Rivaldo Jantjies and Kaula Nhongo.Elon Musk’s Starlink Inc. urged Namibians to provide comment on proposed amendments to the country’s regulations as part of the satellite-internet operator’s efforts to obtain a license without ceding ownership.The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia is considering amending a law that requires telecommunications companies to have 51% domestic ownership. The regulator published Starlink’s license applications for public comment on Nov. 28, with submissions due by Dec. 12.Starlink’s vice president of business operations, Lauren Dreyer, took to Musk’s social-media platform X to call on Namibians to provide comment on the process. The company is the first to seek 100% foreign ownership in the country, the Namibian Sun reported in July. “We have already established a Namibian company, and are discussing agreements with local retailers and resellers, and stand ready to pay all required fees and taxes,” Dreyer said on Monday. .If you want to see @Starlink in Namibia, please email licensing@cran.na and voice your support for Government Gazette 8795, Notice 897 before Dec 12.⁰⁰Namibia is at a pivotal moment in its digital future. The country ranks 149th out of 156 countries globally in median download…— Lauren Dreyer (@LaurenDreyer) December 8, 2025.Last year, Namibia ordered Starlink to immediately cease operations, after people were found to be using the service illegally in the country. 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..Many African nations have given in to pressure by Starlink to ease local-ownership requirements, in a quest for fast and reliable access to the internet. Dreyer cited examples of regulatory barriers being removed in countries including Zimbabwe, Kenya, Botswana and the Democratic Republic of Congo.“Fortunately, Namibian law already gives the power to grant similar ownership flexibility so a similar future is possible for Namibia,” she said.South Africa, where Musk was born, has been reviewing its regulations to provide an alternative to 30%-ownership rules in the form of an equity equivalent program, in terms of which a company invests in services, businesses and schools without giving away any of its equity.In Namibia, a mainly desert nation, many people live far from hubs, diminishing connectivity.For telecommunications services requiring an individual license, Namibia’s current law — the Communications Act — generally caps foreign ownership at 49%. The Namibian regulator expects to make a decision on amendments to the rules by the end of the first quarter, Mufaro Nesongano, a spokesman for the authority, said in response to questions..© 2025 Bloomberg L.P.

Starlink pushes for rule change as Namibia weighs full foreign ownership bid

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