Ghana: Communications regulator warns against provision and use of Starlink services
December 11th 2023
Starlink has not yet obtained authorization from local authorities to provide its high-speed satellite Internet services in Ghana. The company plans coverage of the country from the third quarter of 2024.
The National Communications Authority of Ghana (NCA) is warning citizens against the provision and use of Starlink services and equipment in the country. In a press release published on Thursday, December 7, the regulator considers that this is illegal since it has neither issued a license for the activities of the American company nor approved their equipment.
According to the NCA, the provision of Starlink’s services is in direct contravention of the Electronic Communications Act 2008. ” Except as otherwise provided in this Act, a person must not operate a public electronic communications service or network or provide a voice telephony service without a license granted by the Authority ”, we can read in section 3(1) of the said text.
Starlink, a subsidiary of American billionaire Elon Musk’s company SpaceX, continues its expansion in Africa where it is already present in 5 countries, namely Nigeria, Rwanda, Mozambique, Kenya, Malawi and Benin . Ghana is expected to begin benefiting from the company’s commercial services from the third of 2024, according to the launch schedule set by the company. The latter specifies that the availability of its services remains subject to the approval of regulatory authorities.
More and more Africans, looking for quality broadband connectivity, are adopting Starlink services and equipment without taking into account the company’s regulatory status in their countries. South Africa, Zimbabwe and Senegal have already taken steps to ban the use of Starlink in their territories, pending regulatory approval.
In Senegal, five alleged Starlink agents were arrested last August for marketing terminals allowing access to the company’s services, without prior authorization from the authorities. Law No. 2018-28 on the electronic communications code provides in this case a prison sentence of 1 to 5 years, as well as a fine ranging from 30 million FCFA (approximately $49,400) to 60 million FCFA.
Source: Agence Ecofin Back