Ghana is the latest country in Africa to warn against using Starlink before it issues licenses for SpaceX’s satellite broadband service.

The National Communications Authority (NCA), Ghana’s telecoms regulator, cautioned the general public Dec. 7 against using services purported to be from Starlink following reports of equipment being sold and operated in the country.

“We wish to inform the general public that, the NCA has neither licensed the operations of Starlink in Ghana nor type-approved any of their equipment,” the NCA said in a news release.

While SpaceX only expects to launch Starlink commercially in Ghana in the third quarter of 2024, the company’s sprawling low Earth orbit network already covers the country and others that have yet to permit the services.

Regulators in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Senegal have recently issued similar warnings to the public and Starlink resellers operating without permission.

It seems like third-parties are buying Starlink terminals and reselling them in regions where Starlink service is not yet available. Does this even work? I was under the impression that Starlink terminals were geo-locked to a specific region/cell. Is this no longer the case?

I’m also slightly confused at this section:

Those providing Starlink services in South Africa without permission could face a fine of around $264,000 or 10% of their annual turnover for every day the offense continued, whichever is greater, the regulator warned.

Who would receive the fine? SpaceX for providing service where they weren’t supposed to, or the Starlink terminal resellers for selling hardware where they weren’t supposed to?

  • SigmaticsEnglish
    12·
    6 months ago

    All of the people who can afford it live in cities that have perfectly good internet.

    I think this generalization is far from valid

    • You’re assuming US prices, Starlink can go cheaper and they have shown they will do market specific pricing
    • South Africa is one example where there are plenty of areas outside big cities where people could afford it
    • Starlink doesn’t have to be ordered by individuals. Smaller rural communities could have a shared terminal

    This is assuming it’s not cheaper/faster to just use mobile service, which has had great adoption in Africa and will probably be true in a lot of areas as you noted. Still, there’s a ton of people in Africa and a lot of area to cover. I think there is a good market there for Starlink