Starlink cannot operate in Namibia until it gives up majority ownership to locals
Namibia has shut every door Starlink tried to open. The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia first rejected Starlink’s licence application in March 2026, citing one clear reason. Section 46 of Namibia’s Communications Act requires any telecom operator in the country to be at least 51 percent locally owned. Starlink, wholly owned by SpaceX, did not meet that requirement and never applied for a ministerial exemption that could have given it a way around the rule.
After the rejection, 624 members of the public submitted reconsideration requests, most of them arguing that Starlink would improve rural connectivity and reduce internet costs. CRAN reviewed every single one. 622 were dismissed for failing to meet basic legal requirements. The remaining two were reviewed on their merits and found insufficient to change the original decision.
Starlink itself filed a separate appeal on June 8, 2026, nearly seven weeks after the legal deadline of April 22 had already expired. CRAN had no legal authority to consider it and said so plainly.
The law is not complicated here. Own 51 percent locally or do not operate. Uganda faced the same stan doff and eventually reached a workable agreement with Starlink by setting conditions around local infrastructure, registered devices, and a physical office. Namibia is leaving that same door open, but it has made clear the terms are not negotiable
Is this the model other African countries should follow when foreign tech companies come knocking, or does strict ownership law end up costing ordinary people better connectivity.