Starlink starts cutting off unauthorized countries, revert back to 60-day rule.

Starlink users in South Africa are reporting that they have been cut off from SpaceX’s satellite broadband network. This comes after SpaceX sent a second warning threatening to cut off users accessing Starlink through its regional roaming service for extended periods. The warning said subscribers using the service outside the country where the kit was registered for more than two months will be disconnected from Wednesday, 21 August 2024. “The ‘Mobile — Regional’ plans are intended for temporary travel and transit, not for permanent use in a location,” Starlink said. The company instructed those accessing the service in a different country to either change their account’s country or return to the country where the kit is registered. It is currently impossible to use Starlink in South Africa without a roaming subscription, as the service has not yet officially launched in the country. This is technically unlawful, as Starlink lacks the network, spectrum, or operating licences to offer its service in South Africa. It also doesn’t currently have a local partner with these licences to help offer its services locally. Starlink does not have an estimated launch date for South Africa, while all of our neighbouring countries do. It wasn’t always like this. South Africa was initially set to be the first Southern African country where Starlink would launch. Although Starlink has remained silent about its reasons for changing South Africa’s estimated launch date from 2023 to “Unknown”, it’s an open secret that uncertainty around black ownership requirements is the main reason. Currently, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) requires that companies acquiring national network infrastructure and service licences be 30% owned by historically disadvantaged groups. However, in March 2021, Icasa introduced new regulations that would change this requirement to 30% black-owned. Icasa has suspended this regulation until an undetermined future date, leaving South Africa’s broadband industry stuck in limbo. This happened just after Starlink started taking preorders in South Africa. More .......... https://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadband/557132-elon-musks-starlink-starts-cutting-off-south-africans.html