Communications regulator Icasa quickly countered that no application for a licence had been received. The clash has left South Africa an outlier on the continent: while many of its neighbours move ahead with Starlink roll-outs, the local market remains stuck in regulatory limbo.
Starlink's presence on the continent has expanded rapidly. In 2025 alone, the Democratic Republic of Congo reversed an earlier ban and issued a licence, citing dire connectivity needs. Zimbabwe, Kenya, Mozambique and Ghana are already active markets. In several of these countries, Starlink's monthly subscription fees are competitive with, and in some cases lower than, the leading fixed-line providers.
In Kenya, for example, Starlink's "Standard" plan costs roughly US31-51/month, while in Zimbabwe a scaled-down "Mini" option is priced at about 30. Hardware costs remain significant, but the service has proven attractive for schools, farms and small businesses beyond the reach of fibre networks.