Starlink will soon be granted an operational license in Ghana- Minister

The government of Ghana is considering granting SpaceX’s Starlink an operational licence to provide Internet connectivity to its citizens. Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu Ekuful made this known during a recent meeting with members of parliament over the current internet disruptions in the country.

According to a report by Modern Ghana, the Minister explained that while the country waits for the repairs of the damaged undersea cables, which will take about 5 weeks to fix, the ministry is willing to license additional satellite internet service providers to help address the challenges users face.

“Starlink is in the process of being licensed”, the minister said. “And other operators are being encouraged to land in Ghana. We must also invest in operationalizing RASCOM (Regional African Satellite Company) instead of each company going it all alone”, she adds.

Ghana’s sour history with Starlink

Ghana is one of the over 40 African countries without Starlink satellite internet access. As of October 2023, Starlink is officially available in seven African countries. They are Nigeria, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Malawi, and Zambia. Intending customers from these countries can order a router directly from the Starlink website.

In regions where Starlink’s service is not yet officially available, users can access it through global or regional roaming by importing the necessary kit from a country where Starlink delivers its service. While the roaming option provides access to Starlink, it comes at a slightly higher cost than using the service in the country of registration.

In addition, 25 African countries that previously had unknown availability dates are scheduled to receive Starlink by the end of 2024.

For a comprehensive breakdown of Starlink’s status in all 54 United Nations-recognized African countries, please refer to the table below:

On its part, the National Communication Authority of Ghana, in December 2023 warned citizens to avoid using Starlink’s equipment or services and directed anyone involved in sales or service operations to stop immediately. This follows a report that some middlemen were allegedly raising the cost of satellite Internet service installation.

Similar: Botswana bans Starlink, imposes consequences for violators

According to the agency, the directive is because the satellite Internet company did not obtain a licence or type-approve its equipment before beginning operations, Ghana’s telco regulator declared the sale of Starlink equipment and its operations illegal.

This is in follows a section of the Electronic Communications Act 2008 (Act 775). It stipulates that “Except as otherwise provided under this Act, a person shall not operate a public electronic communications service or network or provide a voice telephony service without a licence granted by the Authority, any entity that offers electronic communication in Ghana without licence or authorisation from the Authority is said to have directly violated this act.”

South Africa is another country conspicuously absent from the list of upcoming availabilities. This omission could be due to a requirement under the Electronic Communications Act, which mandates that all telecom licensees in South Africa must be at least 30% owned by historically disadvantaged groups. Hence, the nation was classified as a low-priority market by the internet service company.

Starlink took action by disconnecting hundreds of customers in South Africa, where the service is prohibited, citing a violation of terms of use. This move signals a willingness to enforce its policies, but the fate of users in other African countries, such as Ghana, Zimbabwe, and Botswana, where the service is also banned, remains uncertain.

The method through which it plans to enforce these terms in defaulting locations remains unclear, raising questions about the company’s ability to control its service distribution across the continent.

The present challenges highlight the complexities of regulating satellite internet services across diverse legal landscapes in Africa.