Published 13 days ago • loading... • Updated 5 days ago

Has Starlink Already Won the New Space Race?

A last-minute meeting is planned in Washington on Tuesday night between South African officials with President Ramaphosa and Elon Musk or his representatives to discuss Starlink's operation in South Africa.
The meeting follows stalled talks due to South Africa's Black Economic Empowerment laws requiring 30% local black ownership, which Musk criticized as a racial barrier to Starlink's licensing.
Starlink, owned by Elon Musk, operates over 7,000 satellites and serves 4.6 million global customers, with expansion across Africa since 2023, but has not applied for a South African license as confirmed by ICASA.
President Ramaphosa plans to offer regulatory workarounds to BEE laws to permit Starlink's entry, aiming to improve rural internet access and ease Pretoria-Washington tensions ahead of his meeting with President Trump.
The proposed deal faces strong opposition from groups like the EFF, who vow legal and public resistance, arguing that the move threatens national sovereignty and violates transformative laws.

Insights by Ground AI

Does this summary seem wrong?

34 Articles

All

Left

Center

Right

Financial Times

Center

Has Starlink already won the new space race?

Elon Musk’s satellite system dominates the battle for the future of global connectivity. Amazon and Chinese rivals are working to catch up

11 days ago·London, United Kingdom

Read Full Article

Newsweek

Reposted by

MSN

Center

Elon Musk attending Trump, Ramaphosa meeting at White House

The billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX has accused Ramaphosa's government of overseeing the persecution of white people.

12 days ago·United States

Read Full Article

Occupy.com

Left

Elon Musk's Global Takeover as Information Overlord

Musk's unelected role at the forefront of U.S. government, and his company's near monopolisation of satellite internet communications, increases his global political and economic power grab, and attacks on democracy.

13 days ago

Read Full Article

Raw Story

Left

Elon Musk granted exception to South Africa's Black ownership rules to operate Starlink

South Africa will loosen its Black ownership laws to allow Elon Musk to operate his Starlink service in his home country.The tech mogul claims to have been prohibited by what he calls "openly racist ownership laws" from setting up his satellite-powered internet provider, but South African officials ...

13 days ago·United States

Read Full Article

IOL

Center

SA explores loophole for Starlink launch ahead of Ramaphosa-Trump meeting

13 days ago·South Africa

Read Full Article

The South African

Lean Left

Elon Musk's Starlink to finally operate in South Africa?

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has condemned reports that President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to offer regulatory assurances to Elon Musk’s Starlink ahead of his meeting with US President Donald Trump this week. On Tuesday, 20 May, Bloomberg reported that Ramaphosa who is in the US is set to allow Musk’s satellite internet provider Starlink to launch in his [Musk] country of birth in order to ease tension and mend relations between Pretoria a…

13 days ago·Johannesburg, South Africa

Read Full Article

Think freely.Subscribe and get full access to Ground NewsSubscriptions start at $9.99/year