Starlink seeks Ghanaian license

Starlink is in the process of designating a representative for Sub-Saharan Africa, who will be responsible for a variety of tasks, such as securing a license in Ghana and South Africa, where Starlink usage has recently been ruled unlawful.

Although Starlink first offered its services in Nigeria, the company stated in a job posting that the Global Licensing Activation Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa will be based in Nairobi, Kenya, and will answer to the Starlink team in MacGregor, Texas.

The advertisement states that the selected individual would lead the company’s efforts to secure ISP licenses in other African nations where it is forbidden to sell or use Starlink, such as Ghana, South Africa, and Senegal.

In some, like Zimbabwe, Starlink’s license application is still being examined by the authorities. Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Mauritius, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Nigeria, and, more recently, Eswatini are the countries where Starlink is now operational.

In Ghana right now, Starlink is still used, albeit covertly. Techfocus24 is aware, nevertheless, that they had many meetings with a Starlink team to talk about licensing matters before the National Communications Authority (NCA) ruled Starlink unlawful in Ghana.

On its website, Starlink has long since declared that it will launch in Ghana during the fourth quarter of 2023. This was accomplished without first securing the required license or authorization from the NCA.

The business has now begun offering direct-to-mobile services without routing signals through a starting pack. However, since T-Mobile was involved in the first launch of the service, analysts predict that Starlink will still need to work with MNOs to expand its direct-to-cell offerings.

Ghana’s Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, has also hinted that the government may form an expert group to propose a way to license space technology operators like SpaceX, who can operate as direct satellite to mobile service providers like MNOs.

Meanwhile, it is hardly shocking that Kenya was selected to house Starlink’s Africa office. Large tech firms established their first development centers in the nation, including Google and Amazon. Additionally, Microsoft opened its first office in Africa there. The nation in East Africa also triumphed over Nigeria and Egypt to become the most sought-after location for investors in 2023.

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