Elon Musk’s Starlink in talks to launch in South Africa

Elon Musk’s Starlink is in discussions with the South African government to bring its satellite internet service to the country, President Cyril Ramaphosa revealed.

The talks between Musk and Ramaphosa are centred on potential investments in Africa’s largest and most developed economy, Bloomberg reported.

Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, was born in South Africa, however, his next-gen satellite internet provider isn’t in his country of birth. Starlink is already operational in several neighbouring countries, including Zambia, Eswatini, Malawi, and Zimbabwe, the latest African nation to gain access to Starlink’s high-speed internet service.

“I have had discussions with him and have said, Elon, you become so successful and you’re investing in a variety of countries, I want you to come home and invest here,” Ramaphosa told reporters in Pretoria. “He and I are going to have a further discussion.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa mentioned that Starlink approached the South African government about introducing its satellite internet service in the country.

While Starlink has yet to comment on this development, Elon Musk, in response to a post on X, indicated that Starlink is “waiting for regulatory approval” to proceed in South Africa.

In South Africa, companies are mandated to have a certain degree of Black ownership to address historical inequalities from the apartheid era. However, alternative arrangements can be negotiated with the government.