Starlink could be coming to the Republic following policy proposal changes by Communications Minister Solly Malatsi, which would allow the internet service to circumvent current BEE regulations that hinder its operation in the Republic.
This follows Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Solly Malatsi gazetting a proposed policy directive to the ICASA on Equity Equivalent Investment Programs in the ICT sector.
This would allow corporations, like Starlink Services, to operate within the industry without 30% ownership from previously marginalized groups by investing in local suppliers, enterprise and skills development, job creation, infrastructure support, research and innovation, digital inclusion initiatives, and funding for SMMEs, according to the minister.
Speaking on VOC Newsbeat, Duncan Pike, Digital Editor at StuffSA, views the policy proposal by the minister as a positive step towards bringing the technology to the Republic, arguing that Starlink’s arrival to the nation would assist South Africans in isolated communities.
“If we think about people like farmers that need high-speed connectivity for things like crop monitoring and security who don’t have access to fiber or some other wireless means of connection, Starlink would provide quite a great boon for them,” stated Pike.
Listen to the full interview here:
Photo: Wikimedia
