STARLINK

SAFTU Says Elon Musk’s Starlink Is “Digital Colonialism Disguised as Connectivity”

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) has joined the chorus of organisations and…

ICASA Launches Investigation into ‘illegal’ Use of Elon Musk’s Starlink in South Africa

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has kicked off an investigation following allegations…

Minister Solly Malatsi Shoots Down Claims That Proposed BEE Amendments Are Aimed at Accommodating Elon Musk’s Starlink

The Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi, has denied claims that his recently…

Starlink, Equity and the DA’s Colonial Tech Agenda: The Real Fight for Economic Justice

The Democratic Alliance’s sudden applause for the draft Equity Equivalent Investment Programmes (EEIPs) in broadband rollout is not a breakthrough. It is a betrayal — one more calculated pivot in their relentless campaign to hijack transformation while defending the economic status quo that keeps Black South Africans excluded. Let’s not be fooled by the DA’s newly scripted lines on “inclusive growth” and “empowerment objectives.” This is the same party that took the Employment Equity Act to court, trashed B-BBEE as…

While Clearing Starlink’s Path through Equity Equivalent Programme is Valid, it Doesn’t Exempt it from the 30% Historically Disadvantaged Group Ownership Requirement under the Electronic Communications Act

What is Starlink? Starlink is a satellite internet service launched by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. It is built on a constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites that deliver high—speed broadband worldwide, particularly to remote and underserved areas. In technical terms, Starlink bypasses traditional terrestrial infrastructure like fiber optics or mobile towers and instead beams internet from orbit directly to user terminals. In a South African context, this is game-changing: B-BBEE Equity Equivalents: A Tool, Not a Loophole The Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment…

MK Party Opposes Equity Equivalent Investment Programme Proposal as Backdoor to Allow Elon Musk’s Starlink to Operate in SA

The Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK) Party has come out with guns blazing, saying the opening of the window for updated equity equivalent investment programmes is meant to allow big tech players like Elon Musk to have a backdoor entry to the South African market without complying with BEE requirements. The party said this in a statement in response to a call by the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi, who has today gazetted a policy direction on the role…

Ramaphosa Reportedly Planning to Appease Elon Musk by Allowing Starlink to Operate in SA Without BEE Partner

With South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the USA to meet with President Donald Trump and other senior government officials, reports have emerged that there is a plan to appease Pretoria-born billionaire Elon Musk. According to Bloomberg, the plan involves allowing Elon Musk to operate Starlink in South Africa without having to partner with a local BEE company. The news agency claims that this move is aimed at easing tension between Musk, a key power broker in the Trump administration,…

Nigeria On Course To Meet Broadband Target

BROADBAND connections in Nigeria have increased by 16 percent year-on-year to 92 million. An increase of 2 percent has been noted month-on-month between December 2022 and January this year. The figure implies a penetration rate of 48,2 percent, up from 47,4 percent the previous month, and 41,6 percent as at January 2022. FBN Quest Nigeria attributed the rise in broadband connections tosubstantial investments made by the network operators. The market watcher noted these investments had been motivated by the federal…

African Times