The licensing process marks regulatory maturity, not a threat to our digital future
The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (Cran) recently published Starlink's telecommunications licence application for public comment in Government Gazette No 8795, a procedural milestone that deserves recognition rather than alarm. This moment represents Namibia's regulatory system working exactly as designed: transparent, consultative, and grounded in law.
Yet a peculiar anxiety has emerged in some quarters.
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One might think we were the first African nation to contemplate satellite broadband, rather than potentially the 26th to license Starlink's services.
This unfounded apprehension warrants a reality check.
Is Namibia exceptionalTIONAL?
In truth, nothing about our situation is unique.
Starlink operates across 25 African countries, from Nigeria to Kenya, Rwanda to Zimbabwe.
The telecommunications landscape has not collapsed in Lagos. Mobile operators in Nairobi have not shuttered their towers.
Instead, evidence from across the continent suggests something rather different: satellite broadband complements terrestrial networks rather than displacing them.
Consider this: Airtel Africa recently announced a partnership to use Starlink's satellite technology to support mobile coverage in remote areas.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Vodacom and Orange formed a joint venture specifically because satellite competition highlighted untapped opportunities in rural connectivity.
These are not the reactions of industries facing existential threats, they are strategic adaptations to an evolving market.
Message to namibians
For citizens, particularly those in rural and underserved areas, additional connectivity options are unambiguously positive.
MTC's admirable 081Every1 programme and Buffalo Project demonstrate genuine commitment to rural coverage, yet connectivity gaps persist.
Satellite broadband addresses precisely those geographies where terrestrial infrastructure remains economically challenging, the vast distances between our communities, the remote farms, the conservation areas where fibre will never reach.
Competition, moreover, tends to benefit consumers.
Across Africa, Starlink's entry has prompted traditional providers to improve pricing and service quality. This is market dynamics functioning as intended.
Message to providers
To our established operators: the evidence suggests collaboration rather than competition may define the future.
Your advantages remain substantial, local knowledge, existing customer relationships and the capacity to deliver specialised services that satellite providers cannot. The opportunity lies in partnership, not protectionism.
Credit must be given where it's due.
Cran and its leadership, particularly chief executive Emilia Nghikembua, deserve to be commended for navigating this process with both firmness and fairness.
The cease-and-desist order against unlicenced operations demonstrated regulatory backbone; the subsequent advancement of the licence application through proper channels demonstrates commitment to due process.
This is precisely the institutional maturity Namibia requires.
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The public comment period now open represents an opportunity for constructive engagement, not hysteria.
Let us approach this moment as the 25 countries before us have: with pragmatism, openness to evidence, and confidence in our regulatory institutions.
- Job Angula is a leading digital transformation strategist and advocate.
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