Starlink users in South Africa will have their satellite internet services cut by April 30 in a crackdown by Elon Musk’s SpaceX on users connecting to its high-speed internet service from countries it hasn’t been authorized.
According to local media reports, Starlink sent an email on Tuesday to users of its roaming service, which includes all South African users, notifying them that they will have to access the service in an area where Starlink is officially available from the end of the month.
The company for months has been unable to obtain a licence in South Africa, as local ownership requirements from historically disadvantaged backgrounds are seen as the main obstacle. And so to use the service, South Africans take advantage of a roaming loophole.
“Thousands of people in South Africa, assisted by several service providers, took out roaming packages in countries where Starlink was licensed to operate and used the devices locally,” said local publication News24.