Starlink rejection ‘not convincing’

Independent Patriots for Change shadow minister of information and communication technology John-Louw Mouton has questioned the rationale behind the rejection of Starlink’s licence application. On Monday, Starlink applied for a reconsideration of Cran’s decision to reject its licence application. The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (Cran) confirmed on Monday evening that it had received a reconsideration application from Starlink, along with 624 applications from members of the public and other interested parties. “This is a double standard as Huawei provides us with telecommunications infrastructure like 5G. Huawei has been accused of sharing sensitive data from servers installed at the African Union buildings. If data privacy was really the concern, it would apply to all companies that deal with our telecommunications and software infrastructure,” Mouton told The Namibian on Monday. He said he understands the frustration of many Namibians, particularly those living in rural areas and on farms where network coverage remains limited. “The regulator must consider finding alternatives with better terms if they feel Starlink does not tick all the boxes.” In March, Cran rejected Starlink’s application for a comprehensive telecommunications service licence and its spectrum licence for satellite internet services. At the time, the regulator said the company failed to meet local ownership, regulatory compliance and legal requirements. One of the main issues was Namibia’s requirement that telecommunications service providers must be at least 51% locally owned. Starlink is fully foreign-owned and did not apply for an exemption. Following the rejection, Starlink described it as a “disappointing outcome.” Cran had given aggrieved parties 90 days to apply for a reconsideration. Cran spokesperson Mufaro Nesongano says all applications received will be processed in accordance with the Communications Act of 2009 and other applicable regulatory requirements. Cran did not indicate when the process will be completed but said it will provide an update once it has been finalised. Digital and technology expert Nrupesh Soni says the discussion should no longer focus on whether Starlink should operate in Namibia but on the conditions under which it should enter the market. Soni says the rejection should not be viewed as opposition to technology or innovation. “There is a tendency to read Cran’s rejection of Starlink as a country turning its back on technology. It is nothing of the sort. Starlink should be in Namibia. The only thing still worth arguing about is the terms on which it arrives,” Soni says. He says Starlink weakened its own position by operating in Namibia without a licence and by failing to respond to a regulatory summons. Soni says applying the law consistently is important for maintaining a fair telecommunications market. He points to Uganda as an example of how governments can reach workable agreements with Starlink. According to him, Uganda initially blocked Starlink but later granted it a licence after the company agreed to several conditions. These included establishing a national gateway to route internet traffic through local infrastructure, registering all devices operating in the country, maintaining a physical office with technical and legal staff and complying with local tax requirements. “That tells me something the Namibian debate keeps missing: this is a company that will follow local rules when the rule is one it is actually able to meet. We can treat the matter as closed, or we can do what Uganda did – build a framework of local presence, device registration, security guarantees and full tax compliance, and use the exemption the law already provides,” he says. The post Starlink rejection ‘not convincing’ appeared first on The Namibian .