{"id":646692,"date":"2026-05-12T14:21:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T12:21:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/?p=646692"},"modified":"2026-05-12T17:24:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T15:24:51","slug":"message-to-internet-companies-fighting-to-keep-starlink-out-of-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/broadband\/646692-message-to-internet-companies-fighting-to-keep-starlink-out-of-south-africa.html","title":{"rendered":"Message to Internet companies fighting to keep Starlink out of South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

South African wireless Internet service providers (WISPs) should stop viewing satellite Internet as a threat to their business and instead regard it as a powerful tool to complement their own services. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is the view of Wireless Access Providers Association of South Africa (WAPA) executive member Paul Colmer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Satellite technology is no longer a ‘plan B’ for when terrestrial links fail,” Colmer said. “It has become a primary, strategic asset for every WISP and ISP in the country.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“LEO is not a competitor to be feared,” Colmer said. “It is a powerful complement to an expanded service offering.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colmer’s comments followed WAPA’s 20th Anniversary Conference, which drew a record 140 attendees and 24 sponsors across a series of regional events from 19 March to 7 May 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the sharpest questions debated in the conference was whether LEO satellites threatened the traditional WISP business model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The consensus was clear: the outcome depends entirely on the strategy and positioning of the individual WISP,” WAPA said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The broader message coming out of the conference was clear: satellite technology is no longer a ‘plan B’, but a core commercial opportunity for WISPs.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WAPA is one of South Africa’s largest representative bodies for wireless Internet service providers. These types of ISPs cater to people in rural areas where fibre Internet is not available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While geosynchronous or geostationary (GEO) satellite Internet has long been available as an option, it is expensive and has limited capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite Internet products like Starlink and Eutelsat OneWeb offer much faster speeds, higher bandwidth, and lower latency, similar to LTE-Advanced products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WAPA said the perception of satellite Internet access technology as expensive and relevant only in niche scenarios was obsolete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The emergence of LEO constellations alongside established GEO satellites has rewritten the rules of engagement,” WAPA said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Starlink has already proven the model, with simple, easy-to-deploy, and well-priced solutions for consumer and do-it-yourself installations,” WAPA said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

WAPA highlighted the market would become even more competitive with Amazon’s Project Kuiper, China’s SpaceSail, and other constellations, all bringing distinct approaches to “anywhere-broadband”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The industry narrative has shifted from satellite as a dying ‘last option’ to a fast-growing, highly reliable, plug-and-play solution that is effectively becoming the fixed-line alternative for LTE.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boots on the ground<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Starlink dishes on display at South Africa’s largest agricultural expo, Nampo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

WAPA explained that the key differentiator for whether a WISP could survive the increased adoption of satellite services would be its local delivery capability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

WAPA said that WISPs were arguably the only service provider segment capable of supplying genuine on-the-ground telco delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Mobile network operators and Tier 1 fibre providers do not perform physical installations at end-user premises,” it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“WISPs do. And their expertise, including providing support across large geographic areas, positions them as the indispensable partners for LEO deployment at scale.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colmer acknowledged Starlink currently favoured a direct-to-market model, but said successful mass-market LEO adoption required on-the-ground support that a satellite operator alone could not provide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Starlink wanted to bill customers and manage its network directly, it was working with local retailers and telecoms providers for sales and on-the-ground technical support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amazon was also expected to route services through distribution channels, opening significant commercial doors for local providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colmer said a WISP that offered fixed wireless, 5G, and satellite connectivity would thrive in a converged connectivity landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“WISPs are the engineers with shoe leather on the ground in South African towns,” Colmer said. “We have the customer relationships that no satellite operator can replicate overnight.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colmer previously downplayed the significant grey market uptake of Starlink’s services following the launch of its roaming feature in early 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thousands of South Africans in rural areas bought Starlink kits and began using its roaming service as a permanent broadband solution, often to the loss of local WISPs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2024, Colmer asserted the change was largely a temporary hiccup and that many users subsequently reverted to their WISP when they encountered issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Satellite Internet expert called it<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Dawie de Wet, Q-KON Group CEO <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

WAPA’s stance has now shifted, stating that the uptake before Starlink was officially licensed in South Africa was a vivid illustration of the hunger for reliable, affordable connectivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Appetite for LEO connectivity is accelerating,” WAPA said. “Icasa’s own data shows just 2.7 million fixed broadband subscribers and a mere 903,000 fixed wireless subscribers.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q-KON Group chief executive officer Dawie de Wet has long argued that satellite Internet connectivity provided a valuable opportunity for WISPs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

De Wet again presented this argument during WAPA’s conference. “It’s time for WISPs to stop seeing satellite as a competitor and start seeing it as the most versatile tool in their kit,” De Wet said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The success of the mass LEO market will be determined by a business model that can reach and support users at all locations with a local, human touch. That is exactly what WISPs provide.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q-KON has been an official distributor of Eutelsat’s OneWeb service, aimed primarily at large corporates and mines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

WAPA called on WISPs, vendors, satellite operators, and investors to embrace the full spectrum of connectivity and recognise that the strategic and financial case for satellite has never been stronger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Satellite technology, and specifically the hybrid multi-orbit model, is a key to closing South Africa’s digital divide and ensuring that no household or business is left behind,” WAPA said. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of South Africa’s foremost wireless Internet service provider associations has admitted: LEO satellite services like Starlink are becoming an indispensable piece of the country’s broadband connectivity puzzle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":341042,"featured_media":499693,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[102384,12123,22727,78924,33927,12125,54653,86563,563,48987,18270],"class_list":["post-646692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-broadband","tag-amazon-leo","tag-dawie-de-wet","tag-fixed-wireless-access-fwa","tag-low-earth-orbit-leo-satellites","tag-paul-colmer","tag-q-kon","tag-q-kon-ceo-dawie-de-wet","tag-rural-connectivity","tag-satellite-internet","tag-starlink","tag-wireless-access-providers-association-wapa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646692"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/341042"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=646692"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":646799,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646692\/revisions\/646799"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/499693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=646692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=646692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=646692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}