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Cameroon bans Elon Musk's Starlink

By , Freelance Investigative Journalist
Cameroon , 26 Apr 2024
Elon Musk, Starlink founder. (Pic credit: ALEX @ajtourville )
Elon Musk, Starlink founder. (Pic credit: ALEX @ajtourville )

Cameroon is seizing Starlink equipment at its ports of entry because the low-orbit satellite provider is not licenced.

The decision to seize all Starlink equipment imported into Cameroon comes after the government expressed concerns about national security and unfair competition.

In a recent notice given to customs personnel, Cameroon Customs Director General Fongod Edwin Nuvaga said: "My attention has been drawn to numerous cases of imported telecommunications equipment known as Starlink. 

"This type of technology, which enables an unrestricted, ultra-fast internet connection, is not subject to the Telecommunications Regulatory Board's oversight and hence poses a threat to national security.”

The customs official stated that the confiscation operation will continue until Elon Musk's SpaceX firm, which operates Starlink, is regulated in the country.

Earlier this month, Cameroon's minister of posts and telecommunications, Minette Libom Li Likeng, raised concern over Starlink's entry into the country, claiming that the company's unlicensed operations pose significant security threat.

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