Namibia Rejects Starlink License Applications

Namibia's telecommunications regulator has rejected applications from Starlink, the satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk's SpaceX, for failing to meet key legal requirements on ownership, national security, and compliance history. The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia announced the decision in the Government Gazette on Monday, marking a significant hurdle for the company's expansion in southern Africa.

The rejection covers Starlink's bids for an Electronic Communications Service license and an Electronic Communications Network Service license, as well as access to radio spectrum. At a press briefing on Tuesday in Windhoek, CRAN Board Chairperson Tulimevava Mufeti detailed the reasons, stating that the applications fell short in three of six required criteria under the Communications Act. Starlink met standards for competition, technical and financial capacity, and frequency availability, but regulators cited violations in ownership and control, national defense and public security, and compliance history as grounds for denial.

On ownership, Mufeti explained that Starlink's Namibian subsidiary is wholly foreign-owned and did not secure an exemption from the...