Illegal Starlink is Rocking in South Africa

Illegal Starlink is rocking in South Africa, even though the satellite broadband service is still not officially licensed by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa). New data and user reports show that Starlink roaming South Africa has seen major improvements in signal performance, download speeds, and latency throughout 2025.

Despite the legal barriers, many homes, farms, schools, and small businesses are using Starlink as their primary internet connection, especially in rural areas where traditional broadband remains unreliable or unavailable.

Rising Adoption of Starlink Roaming in South Africa

Starlink is technically unavailable in South Africa because the company does not yet have the required telecom licences. However, the service can be accessed through roaming plans—a feature designed for users whose equipment is registered and activated in approved countries but used while travelling abroad.

Soon after Starlink launched in neighboring countries, importers started sourcing and reselling Starlink kits, especially to people in regions underserved by fibre and mobile networks. Some resellers have operated within Starlink’s rules by only importing hardware, while others have been accused of managing account subscriptions for customers—an action that violates Starlink’s terms.

By late 2023, thousands of South African users were already online through these roaming plans. At the time, the service performed better than older geosynchronous satellite systems and offered uncapped data, which quickly made it popular among remote workers and small enterprises.

Performance in 2024 and the Turning Point in 2025

In January 2024, average Starlink speeds in South Africa recorded via the MyBroadband speed test app were modest:

• Download: 12.45Mbps

• Upload: 5.37Mbps

• Latency: 381ms

These speeds were acceptable for web browsing and streaming but could not yet compete with urban fibre networks.

However, 2025 marked a dramatic improvement. In February 2025, speeds tripled, with average download speeds jumping to 65.14Mbps and latency improving to around 175ms. By April 2025, latency dropped even further to 39ms, which is comparable to mobile LTE performance.

By September 2025, network speeds peaked:

• Download: ~141Mbps

• Upload: ~33Mbps

These improvements shifted Starlink from being a backup option to a primary broadband replacement for many users.

Why Performance Improved: Ground Stations and Fleet Growth

H2: New Ground Stations in Maputo and Nairobi

One of the largest contributing factors to the speed boost has been the activation of new ground stations closer to South Africa:

• A major ground station in Nairobi, Kenya came online in early 2025.

• Another key ground station launched in Maputo, Mozambique, just 50km from the South African border.

Before these upgrades, South African traffic had to route through ground stations in Nigeria or even Europe, significantly increasing latency and data routing distances.

H3: Local Internet Exchange Points

Starlink also connected to major network exchange hubs:

• NAPAfrica

• INX-ZA (Johannesburg Internet exchange)

This resulted in faster connections to South African servers, making real-world speeds more accurate, stable, and responsive.

H2: Expansion of the Starlink Satellite Fleet

Starlink recently surpassed 10,000 active satellites in orbit, further strengthening network capacity and coverage. The enlarged fleet allows more users to connect simultaneously without performance degradation.

The Legal Challenge: Icasa Licensing Issues

Even with clear demand and performance improvements, Starlink remains illegal to operate permanently in South Africa. Icasa maintains that SpaceX must secure:

• Spectrum licences

• Individual Electronic Communications Network licences

• Local operator partnership agreements

However, negotiations have stalled, and no official launch date has been announced.

Starlink has attempted to limit roaming-based permanent usage by cutting off continuous roaming after 60 days, pushing users to register a service address in an approved country.

Workarounds and User Strategies

To bypass these limitations, users are finding creative solutions:

• Swapping devices between a South African location and an address in a neighboring Starlink-supported country every two months.

• Collaborating with family and friends in countries like Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho, and Eswatini.

• Some users maintain two kits—one registered abroad and one in South Africa—to rotate service.

While effective, these workarounds are costly and inconvenient. Yet, for users in areas where fibre and mobile broadband fail to deliver, the trade-offs are worth it.

Conclusion: High Demand, High Speeds, but No Legal Launch Yet

Illegal Starlink is rocking in South Africa because it fills a critical connectivity gap—especially in rural and semi-urban regions. Performance has significantly improved due to closer Maputo and Nairobi ground stations, industry-grade satellite fleet expansion, and better satellite internet performance overall.

However, Icasa licensing issues remain the primary barrier to legal availability. Until regulatory and commercial agreements are finalized, Starlink will continue to occupy a grey area in the South African internet market.

If legal approval is granted, Starlink could reshape national broadband access, reducing inequality and expanding high-speed internet to millions.

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