Zipped lips on Starlink
The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology refused to be drawn into how the potential entry of Starlink into the telecommunications market could affect local mobile phone operators after the operator applied to establish its business in Namibia.The ministry said it was still reviewing Starlink's application and therefore could not comment.
"The ministry has received an application from Starlink for exemption in terms of the provisions of the Communications Act. Due to the process that is currently underway, the ministry cannot express itself until the process is completed," the ministry responded in an email.
Telecom Namibia CEO Stanley Shanapinda was equally cautious in responding to the issue, saying the operator's comments had been submitted to the ministry for review.
"We are studying the potential impact and possible benefits, and are in the process of compiling our comments to the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology and unfortunately cannot make our comments public at this stage," Shanapinda said.
MTC, for its part, did not respond to any questions sent to it.
In their request for exemption in May this year, Starlink's international licencing and activation manager, Brandi Oliver, said Starlink is building the world's first truly global service provider with millions of subscribers around the world.
“As part of this, it is essential that we maintain the same business model in each market to ensure the flexibility to move quickly and in the best interests of our customers.
“In each of the 108 markets where we are already licenced, Starlink owns the entity that fully owns the licences. Maintaining 100% ownership of the licence-holding entity is critical for several reasons,” said Oliver.
Meanwhile, Starlink is now available in a number of Southern African countries including Botswana, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia, with the exception of Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia and South Africa.