The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) has issued spectrum licences for the deployment of low earth orbit (OneWeb) satellite services to four (4) operators during the first week of January 2026.
These are Echo Telecommunications (Pty) Ltd, Oblixx Communications Networks CC, Rocketnet Internet Namibia (Pty) Ltd, and Blue Telecommunications (Pty) Ltd.
Low earth orbit (LEO) satellite technology is capable of offering data connectivity meeting broadband quality service standards set for Namibia, according to the Regulator.
With the LEO licences, CRAN head, Emilia Nghikembua, stated that competition in the ICT sector will intensify, explaining that existing and new mobile operators will launch 5G services to keep abreast with their counterparts in providing improved broadband services, necessitating further investment in digital infrastructure.
“This trend will become embedded in business strategy as operators enhance their service offerings to meet the policy directive that broadband services should comply with a minimum download speed of 25 Mbps by October 2026,” she noted.
