SpaceX has pledged to comply with South Africa’s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) regulations and announced plans to invest 2.5 billion South African rand (USD 145.6 million) in the country.
Starlink’s Senior Director for Market Access, Ryan Goodnight, told attendees at the Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) annual meeting that Starlink will begin operations as soon as regulatory hurdles are cleared.
South Africa introduced the B-BBEE program to address economic inequalities that arose during the apartheid era. Starlink confirmed that it will adhere to these laws.
The company also proposed an “equity equivalence” program, planning an additional 500 million rand (approximately USD 28 million) initiative to connect 5,000 schools with free internet and equipment. It further announced plans to invest 2 billion rand in building local infrastructure.
Earlier this year, Starlink obtained licenses in Lesotho in June, Chad in July, and Somalia in August.
The company is currently fully operational in Lesotho, Botswana, Ghana, DRC, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Eswatini, Madagascar, Nigeria, Niger, Liberia, Benin, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Cape Verde, Kenya, South Sudan, Rwanda, and Burundi.
It is expected that Starlink will overcome similar challenges and begin operations in South Africa as well.