This approval comes three months after the Botswana Communications and Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) initially rejected Starlink’s application due to missing information, leading to a subsequent ban of Starlink products.
This week’s decision to grant Starlink a license follows a meeting between the SpaceX team and President Mokgweetsi Masisi at the Africa-US Business Forum in Dallas, Texas.
What the president said:
“After the meeting [with SpaceX], I immediately decided to agree to the licensing of Starlink in the country,” President Masisi said. President Masisi stated that he had given the regulator a two-week deadline to fast-track Starlink’s license application following the meeting.
Masisi said Starlink services are expected to become available in the country soon, helping farmers and others in remote areas connect when conventional fixed broadband is unavailable.
By licensing Starlink, Botswana aims to bridge the connectivity gap in its country of 2.6 million people. Despite an internet penetration rate of 87%, the country currently faces some of the highest data prices in Africa.
Botswana is the latest southern African nation to license Starlink, following Zimbabwe, which approved the service last Friday.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said that the licensing of Starlink reflects his administration’s dedication to creating an environment that encourages investment in technology.
