The American businessman Elon Musk’s company Starlink, a global satellite internet provider, has submitted an application to operate in Zimbabwe, according to Potraz, the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe.
During a Q&A session at a business function hosted by the Ministry of Information Communication Technology (ICTs), Postal and Courier Services, on the fringes of the 64th edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF), Potraz director-general Dr. Gift Machengete disclosed this in Bulawayo on Tuesday.
Given Starlink’s continuous customer expansion and widespread appeal, concerns have been expressed about how it functions inside the nation’s ICT industry.
ALSO READ: Elon Musk Accused of Colluding with Russia Over Starlink Usage
In response, Dr. Machengete stated that Starlink had submitted the application papers to the regulator, who had taken control of the situation.
So why is Starlink not functioning at the moment? The short answer is that Starlink had not applied, and it would be irresponsible for us to then go out and beg that they do so.
“They have now applied, and we are reviewing their application,” Dr. Machengete stated.
Since we are also regulators, we must consider how best to control them. We also need to consider data and consumer protection.
However, we are examining their application at this time.
He admitted that some unauthorized Starlink subscribers in the nation had been disconnected subsequently.
In other words, we haven’t banned them. Because we cannot tolerate illegal activity, we have just requested that anyone utilizing Starlink terminals turn them off,” Dr. Machengete stated.
“I believe they have been turned off, and there may be a commotion.” However, as you can see, those were unlawful, and if they receive a license, they will become legal.
According to him, the government has a part to play in how the telecom industry operates and will go through the proper procedures to guarantee that services are rendered and uphold standards.
“Let me clarify. At Potraz, we are the telecom licensing authority. We have a converged licensing framework that we use to determine whether the technology you bring is relevant, technology neutral, and to reaffirm that we already have geo-stationary satellites.
“We are technology neutral, so there is no way we would then be blocking Starlink because we already have geostationary satellites licenced,” Dr. Machengete stated.
Over 70 nations are covered by the Starlink satellite internet constellation, which is run by Starlink Services, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the US aerospace corporation SpaceX. Another goal is to offer mobile broadband everywhere.
In 2019, SpaceX began launching Starlink satellites. It was made up of more than 6,000 mass-produced tiny satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) as of early March 2024, which are in communication with specific ground transceivers.
There are plans to launch close to 12,000 satellites, with the possibility of adding 34,400 more in the future. In December 2022, SpaceX reported having over a million members; in May 2023, it reached 1.5 million; and in September 2023, it reached two million.