Starlink explosion in South Africa — ICASAsePush enters the game
The number of Internet service providers (ISPs) selling SpaceX’ Starlink satellite Internet services to South African residents continues to grow despite the regulatory hurdles they must still overcome to operate in the country lawfully.
One such provider — ICASAsePUSH — recently entered the South African market and is close to reaching 400 units sold.
It joins the likes of Starsat Africa, a Mozambican company that took over IT-Lec’s customers after industry regulator ICASA slapped it with a cease and desist order.
MyBroadband spoke to an ICASAsePUSH spokesperson for further information on the company’s offering.
“While we have recently embarked upon the South African market, we are on the verge of reaching our 400th unit in South Africa,” they said.
“These units have demonstrated impressive performance, albeit not on par with fibre connections, which is a natural expectation.”
Like Starsat Africa, the company is headquartered and registered in Maputo, Mozambique and imports, sells, and manages Starlink services on customers’ behalf.
Those interested must pay R14,999 once-off for the Starlink kit, a R1,500 sign-up fee, and R1,500 per month thereafter.
“The sign-up fee is attributed to our rigorous device activation and testing protocol at our facilities before customer dispatch,” the spokesperson said.
“Furthermore, due to our strategic affiliations with authorised resellers, our customers pay the resellers directly.”
“We receive a portion of their proceeds afterwards, enabling us to present competitive pricing structures, which include customer support,” they added.
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has taken a dim view of these “grey imports” of Starlink kits.
Following the cease and desist on IT-Lec, it raided the ISP’s premises, accompanied by a dozen or so police officers.
However, by that time, IT-Lec had already moved its Starlink operations out of South Africa and into Mozambique, where the service has officially launched.
Government has made it clear that Starlink can only launch in South Africa if it complies with local regulations requiring 30% ownership by historically disadvantaged individuals.
The Internet Service Providers’ Association of South Africa has explained that this doesn’t mean Starlink needs to sell to a BEE partner.
It could partner with a local distributor or reseller with the necessary ICASA licences, or establish a local subsidiary that complies with local equity requirements.
Regardless, the complexity of South Africa’s regulatory landscape has landed it on SpaceX’s “low priority” list, IT-Lec has told MyBroadband.
ICASAsePUSH is optimistic that ICASA and government will change their stance.
“We maintain optimism that ICASA, much like Italy, will revise its stance on Starlink, and our primary objective is to retain the loyalty of our customer base during this transitional phase,” the spokesperson said.
“Should that not occur, we may need to consider a rebrand.”
The spokesperson said ICASAsePUSH is actively pursuing Starlink-set prerequisites for it to become an autonomous authorised reseller of Starlink equipment.
“We conduct regular testing, where we remain continually astounded by the fact that our Internet originates from space,” they said.
To provide an idea of ICASAsePUSH’s confidence in Starlink’s capabilities, the spokesperson noted that all of the ISP’s offices “are powered by Starlink”.
“It is worth noting that all of our offices are powered by Starlink, underscoring our unwavering confidence in its capabilities.”
MyBroadband contacted ICASA for comment, and it did not respond by publication.
Loading ...