---
title: "Musk’s Starlink in Talks With South Africa to Start Service"
description: "Elon Musk’s Starlink is holding talks with the South African government to introduce the satellite service in Africa’s biggest and most developed economy, President Cyril Ramaphosa said."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Bloomberg"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/bloomberg/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-09-13-musks-starlink-in-talks-with-south-africa-to-start-service/"
published: "2024-09-13T18:43:01"
updated: "2024-09-13T18:43:02"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 309
---

# Musk’s Starlink in Talks With South Africa to Start Service

> Elon Musk’s Starlink is holding talks with the South African government to introduce the satellite service in Africa’s biggest and most developed economy, President Cyril Ramaphosa said.

By Bloomberg · Published 13 September 2024, 20:43 SAST · Updated 13 September 2024, 20:43 SAST

## Content

Musk and Ramaphosa held talks over potential investments, the president told reporters on Friday.

Musk, who was born in South Africa, is the world’s richest person. Last week, Zimbabwe [became](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-09-09/elon-musk-s-starlink-begins-operations-in-zimbabwe-after-licensing-approval) the 16th nation in Africa to get access to the high-speed Internet service, according to a map published on Starlink’s website.

“I have had discussions with him and have said, Elon, you become so successful and you’re investing in a variety of countries, I want you to come home and invest here,” Ramaphosa told reporters in Pretoria. “He and I are going to have a further discussion.”

*Sign up for the twice-weekly*[*Next Africa newsletter*](https://www.bloomberg.com/account/newsletters/next-africa?sref=OOcVchU0)*for the latest business and economic news from the continent.*

The president said Starlink made the approach. A spokesperson for Starlink didn’t respond to an earlier request for comment.

Last Sunday, in response to a post on X about how South Africa needs Starlink, Musk said that it is “waiting for regulatory approval.”

Read More: [Elon Musk’s Starlink Terminals Are Falling Into the Wrong Hands](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-03-25/elon-musk-s-spacex-sees-starlink-black-market-trade-grow-worldwide)

> Starlink’s high-speed, low-latency internet is now available in Zimbabwe! 🛰️🇿🇼❤️ → [https://t.co/mMoEinum62](https://t.co/mMoEinum62)[pic.twitter.com/0Yj2VopQNW](https://t.co/0Yj2VopQNW)
>
> — Starlink (@Starlink) [September 7, 2024](https://twitter.com/Starlink/status/1832392080481563037?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Starlink delivers broadband internet beamed down from a network of roughly 5,500 satellites that SpaceX [started deploying](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-24/spacex-launches-rocket-carrying-satellites-for-broadband-network) in 2019.

The service has 2.6 million [customers](https://api.starlink.com/public-files/StarlinkLatency.pdf) globally. However, Starlink remains absent in some major economies, including Taiwan, due to local ownership requirements.

Companies operating in South Africa also require a degree of Black ownership in an effort to redress inequities stemming from apartheid. Alternative arrangement can be made after talks with the government.

Read More: [United Air to Offer Free Wi-Fi in Deal With Musk’s Starlink](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-09-13/united-airlines-reaches-deal-with-elon-musk-s-starlink-for-wi-fi)

On Friday United Airlines Holdings Inc. announced a deal for Starlink to power its inflight Wi-Fi, becoming the first major US carrier to use the satellite system and giving the Musk-run company a marquee customer.