Starlink's bid to enter the Namibian market suffered a fresh setback after the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) dismissed the company's appeal against the rejection of its licence applications.
CRAN maintained its position that the SpaceX-owned satellite internet provider failed to meet local ownership requirements.
The communications regulator previously rejected the firm's applications for a telecommunications service licence and radio spectrum access licence in March, citing non-compliance with ownership and control requirements under Section 46 of the country's Communications Act.
The legislation mandates that telecommunications licence holders maintain at least 51% Namibian ownership, while Starlink's application reflected no local ownership.
CRAN said Starlink's request for reconsideration was submitted after the statutory deadline of 23 April, further weakening its case.
"After careful consideration, the authority found that the request has been lodged outside the statutory period prescribed by law. The law requires that the application must be submitted 30 days from the date of the decision," said Emilia Nghikembua, CRAN CEO, during a media briefing.
She added: "Neither the Communications Act nor the applicable regulations provide CRAN with the authority to condone applications for reconsideration. Consequently, the authority was legally precluded from considering the merits of the application, and that application has been dismissed."
Tulimevava Mufeti, chairperson of the CRAN board, said in March that while the applicant met requirements relating to competition, technical and financial capacity, and frequency availability, it failed to satisfy key criteria on ownership, national security and compliance history.
The compliance failure stems from a cease-and-desist order CRAN issued to Starlink in late 2024 for allowing unauthorised terminals to operate in the country.
CRAN also said it received 624 public submissions challenging its March decision to reject Starlink's licence application.
However, the regulator dismissed 622 of the submissions for failing to meet procedural legal requirements, while the remaining two were rejected on their merits.
The decision marks another regulatory hurdle for Starlink in southern Africa. The company has also been unable to secure an operating licence in South Africa because of local ownership requirements.
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