Demand for Starlink services in sub-Saharan Africa has soared in recent years as local operators often struggle to provide fast broadband internet, especially in areas far from cities, and in some cases people have traded and activated the terminals illegally.
Namibia ordered Starlink Inc. to immediately cease all operations in the south-west African country, saying the satellite-internet service owned by billionaire Elon Musk is operating without the required telecommunications licence.
“The public is hereby advised not to purchase Starlink terminal equipment or subscribe to its services, as such activities are illegal,” the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia said in an emailed statement. “Investigators have already confiscated illegal terminals from consumers and have opened criminal cases with the Namibian police in this regard.”
