By: Staff Writer
The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) declined to directly answer questions from Eagle Media House regarding Starlink’s pending application to legally operate in Namibia.
Starlink, which is owned and operated by South African-born multi-billionaire Elon Musk’s aerospace company, SpaceX, is currently operational in 22 African countries, with 25 African companies, including Paratus, MTN, and the Botswana Telecommunications Corporation listed as authorised resellers on the Starlink website. Nigeria was the first African country to accept Starlink, with services launching in January 2023.
Eagle Media House sent CRAN four questions regarding Starlink:
- What are CRAN’s thoughts on the email template that was created to send to licensing@cran.na?
- Of the 1,180 written submissions in favour of Starlink’s operations in Namibia, how many looked like the above (template) text?
- CRAN requested for the public to submit their opinions via email or handwritten letters. Does CRAN feel this was an effective way of soliciting opinions from the average Namibian? Should this not have been a paid national campaign?
- International streamer iShowSpeed will be making his way to Namibia in the next coming days to livestream from Namibia as part of his Africa tour. He uses Starlink to connect to the world. The Starlink hardware has been seen during his streams in South Africa. Will CRAN allow the world-famous streamer to continue using Starlink in Namibia?
Mufaro Nesongano, CRAN’s Executive for Communication & Consumer Relations, provided one answer that can be found in full here.
Starlink has been registered at the Business and Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA) since May 2024 and submitted a formal licence application to CRAN in June 2024. Nesongano stated that CRAN would announce “a decision on Starlink’s licence application by the end of Quarter One (Q1) 2026, following a comprehensive review process that upholds regulatory requirements and public participation”.
The public participation mentioned by CRAN is in reference to a request that it put out to the public on 3 December 2025 for their opinions on Starlink’s operations in Namibia. CRAN asked the public to submit their opinions via email or handwritten letters during a 9-day window.
They received a total of 1,180 submissions, with 1,164 (98%) being in favour of bringing the ~300 Mbps internet service to Namibia. For comparison, Eagle Media House conducted a poll as well. From the 910 votes received on X and Facebook, 653 (72%) of users voted in favour of bringing the service to Namibia.
World-famous 20-year-old internet streamer, Darren Jason Watkins Jr, better known as ‘iShowSpeed’ will be making his way to Namibia soon as part of his 20-country, 28-day Africa Tour.
The streamer has already visited South Africa, Angola, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Mozambique. He has not shied away from the fact that he uses Starlink to livestream to his worldwide fanbase, which exceeds 120 million people.
Watkins’ camera man and content manager, Samuel ‘Slipz’ Iles posted on X that “IShowspeed’s Starlink entered South Africa on a carnet. A documented import-export. Elon Musk/Starlink did not send IShowspeed any gear, he is a paying customer.”
The Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) confirmed to Eagle Media House that no ATA (admission temporaire/temporary admission) Carnet in relation to the streaming equipment of Watkins Jr had been received as of 8 January 2026.
NamRA also told Eagle Media House that a Carnet, which is ordinarily issued by Chambers of Commerce or other approved authorities in the country of export, “does not override or replace other regulatory and statutory requirements.”
CRAN did not directly address the matter at hand, nor did the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) respond to questions submitted at the time of publication.
The main roadblock for Starlink in South Africa and Namibia has been the local ownership policy/law that both nations require for foreign-owned companies to operate. Musk has gone as far as labelling the requirement “racist.”
ICT Minister Emma Theofelus has reportedly made a decision regarding the local ownership policy requirement for Starlink, which will be made public in tandem with CRAN’s pending announcement.
Starlink’s refusal to cave to local ownership demands in South Africa have paid dividends after the Communications Minister Solly Malatsi announced that communications companies, including Starlink, instead ought to recognise investments in aspects such as digital infrastructure as “equity equivalent” to bypass the 30% equity requirement.
Will Namibia’s MICT opt for a similar shift? Only time will tell. View Eagle Media House’s comprehensive analysis of Starlink in Africa by clicking on the below image.
