Starlink under scrutiny: Minister Malatsi backs ICASA's probe into unauthorised services
Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi.
Image: X / IOLGraphics
Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi has thrown his weight behind the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) to investigate Starlink, a satellite internet service operated by SpaceX, for allegedly operating in the country without authorisation.
This development comes after the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) alleged that Starlink was offering its services in South Africa without a licence.
ICASA confirmed that the organisation had launched an investigation into the alleged unlawful use and provision of Starlink services in South Africa.
ICASA spokesperson, Milly Matlou, said: 'ICASA has launched an investigation into the alleged unlawful use and provision of Starlink services in SA. We have also engaged SpaceX for further clarity and have currently deployed inspection teams on the ground to investigate the matter further.'
If found guilty, the company could face enforcement actions, including fines or even a ban on its operations in the country.
'Should the investigation yield any breach with regulatory and legislative frameworks, the authority will explore the applicable enforcement actions within its disposal, which may include, among others, lodging a formal complaint with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU),' Matlou said.
The MKP alleged that Starlink was operating in South Africa without authorisation, using a shadow entity called "ICASAsePUSH" to masquerade its operations.
The party claimed that this operation constitutes a 'blatant' violation of South African telecommunications law and represents a direct affront to the country's Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) framework.
The party launched its allegations during the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies meeting in Parliament on Tuesday.
'During that session, the MK Party directly challenged the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies regarding his awareness of this operation. His professed ignorance was not only unacceptable but deeply troubling,' party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said.
Malatsi has expressed his full support for ICASA's investigation, stating that it is the regulator's responsibility to manage both licence applications and investigations.
'The minister was made aware of the allegations when they were raised in the portfolio committee on Tuesday. It is now ICASA's responsibility to investigate these allegations, and the minister fully supports this investigation,' Malatsi's spokesperson, Kwena Moloto, said.
This will be the second time the authority investigates Starlink's dealings.
In 2023, ICASA issued a notice, warning that it was illegal for anyone or company to use Starlink, as it doesn't hold a licence to operate in the country.
Meanwhile, during the session on Tuesday, Malatsi defended his recently gazetted proposed ICT policy adjustments, saying that it was intended to attract investment into the sector.
He said it was not a way to allow Elon Musk to operate in South Africa.
'We are not attempting to open a new dispensation for Starlink or any other company or individual,' he told Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Communication.
'We are saying that the regulations in our sector must consistently make provisions for the two choices that exist in any other sector,' Malatsi said after his department on Friday gazetted a proposed policy direction to the ICASA.
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