To say the Starlink licensing saga is unconventional is tatamount to saying water might be wet. Listen, I’m not compalining, but it has to be acknowledged: it’s one weird story. We have a few updates.
The Minister of ICT, Tatenda Mavetera told the Sunday News,
We are currently working on technical modalities like interoperability between Starlink and other network service providers. We want to make sure that there is no interference with the existing network service providers. We have set a target of two weeks and in the next two weeks, we expect to have completed the technical modalities. The Postal and Telecommunication Regulatory Authority has set the third quarter of the year as the time frame to fully roll out but we are saying as a Government we need to expedite the processes
Again, I’m not complaining but it is a little unusual to hear a government say it is looking to expedite the licensing of an operator. I get it though, we have been among the Starlink evangelists and understand the benefits the country could obtain from Starlink’s arrival.
The Minister does go on to talk about some of those things. Those are the conversations we had all of last year. We shan’t get into them but let us unpack her statement above.
Technical modalities
She’s talking about what goes into the licensing of a company that provides internet access. She gave examples of interoperabilities and the intereference issue. Let’s get into that and the other modalities that go into this. I know some are wondering why it takes so long. (Not agreeing that it should take long though, for any operator, not just Starlink.)
Interoperability and Network Integration
We have to ensure seamless interoperability between Starlink’s network and existing network service providers. This involves technical coordination to prevent interference and establish protocols for data exchange and routing (finding the best paths to deliver data efficiently.)
Or in simple English, we need to align Starlink’s technology with existing service providers’ stuff. It involves managing frequency allocations to avoid interference with other services.
Frequency allocation
The government needs to allocate specific radio frequencies for Starlink’s operation and issue the necessary licenses. This involves coordination with international bodies to avoid interference with other satellite systems or terrestrial networks.
Ground station infrastructure
Some of the experts we have talked to see this being a huge issue. Zimbabwe’s current laws require that any company offering the services that Starlink wants to offer needs ground stations in the country.
The problem is, Starlink does not have ground stations in every country it operates in. It gets around this by linking satellites using lasers, which sounds like sci-fi.
You see, back when state media was yet to get on the Starlink bandwagon, they used that fact to bash the service. Here’s a quote from The Herald from back in February,
Starlink also uses optical space lasers to transmit data without local ground stations, which could pose a threat to other satellites and potentially weaponise space. For example, China and Russia have expressed concerns that the US could use its satellites to launch attacks on their space assets, or to disrupt their military and civilian operations.
It remains the case and if I were a betting man, I’d wager that of the locations Starlink would have picked out to set up ground stations, Zimbabwe was not one of them.
So, the expediting process the Minister talked about might involve getting some executive authorisations for Starlink to operate without having to set up ground stations.
Regulatory compliance
As much as we all want to see Starlink and its competitors operate in Zimbabwe, we cannot just throw the rulebooks out and roll out the red carpet. There has to be some semblance of the rule of law being applied, lest we lose our ‘prime investment destination’ status.
So we need to ensure Starlink complies with local regulations and obtains necessary approvals from government bodies. Issues like consumer protection, fair competition, and data privacy have to be ironed out.
More technical stuff
We won’t get it all but it includes:
- Network Testing: Conducting extensive testing to ensure reliability and performance.
- User Terminal Deployment: Ensuring the availability of user terminals (satellite dishes) , along with clear installation guidelines and support for users.
- Technical Support and Maintenance: Establishing a technical support system to address any issues that may arise. This includes having trained personnel, spare parts, and maintenance protocols.
Expediting the process
The Minister says they want to get the above sorted out in 2 weeks. The regulator in charge of this, Potraz, had a broad Q3 deadline but the government says we should set it all up in 2 weeks.
Knowing our government, it will be done. Say what you want about them, but when they want something done, it gets done, otherwise heads will roll over at Potraz. Not literally, although I wouldn’t rule that out if my life depended on it.
We should note that this doesn’t mean we will be getting Starlink in 2 weeks. It only means we want the ball to be in Starlink’s court in 2 weeks’ time. SpaceX did say they were targeting a Q3 launch. However, there is some bad news on that front.
The Starlink website now says they expect to start servicing Zimbabwe in 2025. For the past few months, it had indicated Q3 2024, yet now that the licensing process has begun in Zimbabwe, they have pushed the start date back.
Here is what I think happened: as Starlink dealt with Potraz, after the President approved their licensing, they realised there were numerous issues that needed to be resolved with the stringent Zimbabwean authorities. Hence why the timeline was moved up.
I believe the statement by the Minister is meant to let Potraz know that these are perilous times and some creativity is needed in ensuring the licensing goes ahead as was previously scheduled. What does creativity look like? Who can say?
Try not to think about it too much
I did say this was an unconventional licensing. Some of us are trying to not look too closely at the specifics. ‘Just get the first low earth orbit satellite internet provider in and we’ll deal with how we got it later,’ goes the thinking.
I’m not here to say we should celebrate or shun this, to each their own. It is an unusual situation though, and that cannot be denied.
Will the expedition produce the required result and bag us Starlink in Q3 2024? We shall see but when there is this much political support, I don’t foresee any untenable challenges ahead.
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43 comments
Could it be the way the cookie 🥠 crumbles? I wonder. Could there have been some second thoughts on the the rushed IMC deal? Only time will tell.
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Ouch its becoming cloudy and i guess a heavy rain of bad news is coming. Why ignore the signs,we shall see otherwise q3 is already done in my op
Lol, let’s continue to push for more fibre infrastructure to the home and lower prices, Starlink is only good when taakuenda kumusha for a month.
Was hoping to already run away from Liquid come the first month of Q3 and I’m devastated 😕. Their cheapest uncapped package costs way too much (USD200+ a month)
What is the current status regarding roaming kits imported from neighbouring countries? Can anyone confirm if they actually got disconnected and if they are still disconnected?
Liquid have reduced their prices check their x page unlimited wibronix 89 fibronix unlimited 99
It’s still expensive. Not to mention the FUP throttling in certain areas, like Belvedere, can make it frustrating to use.
They actually work very well if you’re interested you can give me your contact details
If anyone of you is interested in getting a starlink kit on roaming email :tariedms@gmail.com
Nonsense. Do you have one? If you do then this statement makes no sense. Starlink is the best thing to ever happen to home Internet in Africa.
I requested fibre from liquid a I was charged $24000 usd for less than km
This actually sounds about right, if they don’t have a fibre cable running in your neighbourhood, they have to trench from where the cable is, lay the fibre cable to your doorstep, and then install I will your house.
So home installation if there is a fibre connection that runs to your house costs about 900-1200 last time I checked,so multiply that cost with your tens of meters, and also consider the price of the thick cable they run to get to your gate, it may get around there to 25k easily
Not an advocate of their pricing, just a networks guy who knows rough costs
The silliness of it comes from the fact that it’s THEIR infrastructure, at the end of the day. After popping 24k, your neighbour can be added on for 900 bucks.
Kkkkkkk.
Its absurd, and why act slow on such a tech revolution in our country
Just as OVHD, the popular South African free satellite TV service does not need transmitters in the country, Starlink does not need base stations in the country. There is no need to put fear of lasers into the general public as we have lasers being used in printers, cd and dvd drives and lasers are used for the light used to transmit data in fiber optic cables.
For Elon Musk, our market is like a drop of water in the ocean. He is still establishing with those who are organised and are ready for his service. I am sure he also does due dilligence on those who want to work with him!
🔥🔥🔥🔥
We might say all we want and speculate but SpaceX operates a profit making entity and Zim having issues with international payments and people not making payments for simple things like DSTV less Apple are more willing to buy kits that’s a start. Vano tarisa stats dze economy ava. We will get it though through IMC chete by purchasing kits from them.
From.my YouTube research and wide understanding they are not very keen on the kits issue as they are more focused on Direct to cell, which is less costly to the consumer and more money for them through subscriptions just like your netflix
So vele it’s about server control kkkkk.
Hameno
LIQUID HAS REDUCED PRICES, DATA SPEED HAS BEEN INSCREASED X5 for Fibre and X 3 for LTE… more is coming… they also have technical support..Technicians come to your house at no chargeat all if you have any issues with your internet… Liquid gives back to the community and offers free wifi to our schools and universities, employs our people unlike this Tora mari united who will only eat alone
Haaaa it’s all about choices mukuru wangu Hitira iwewe keep your Liquid and we will keep our starlink considering direct to smartphone connection iyo haaa zvaana liquid vako izvo very soon dzinenge dzave ngano ko shiri inozongofa hayo.
Ko kumusha LIQUID inosvika here? Ndopatinodora Starlink yechikomana chakaberekerwa paSA Elon Musk chero ukaenda kunoisa kit yake mugame park pamusoro petsuro nzou inoto browser baba kkkkk. Starlink kuseri kwenext year.
LIQUID HAS REDUCED PRICES, DATA SPEED HAS BEEN INSCREASED X5 for Fibre and X 3 for LTE… more is coming… they also have technical support..Technicians come to your house at no chargeat all if you have any issues with your internet… Liquid gives back to the community and offers free wifi to our schools and universities, employs our people unlike this Tora mari united who will only eat alone
Why were they so expensive that competition has made them reduce tariffs and still be profitable?
Why did they deliberately make the network speed very slow when the equipment they have was always capable of high speeds? So people were buying very expensive data bundles which would expire as users would not deplete the allocation due to the low speeds!
You sound like you are advertising for Liquid.
One man’s meat is another man’s poison.
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On its website its still Q3 2024
It was changed to Starting 2025
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You already posted the link wani no need to keep repeating what has been done
Pamwe vakachibata kuti dzvii zvemashuwa
On the site its still saying 3rd Quarter 2024
Weldone Star Link for putting competition in the market
Minister is absolutely clueless. I think Starlink should rather stick to African countries who know what they are talking about when it comes to technology. I should think Botswana will be up and running soon.
Haiwa mhani, why are that blind zvekudaro? Ndosaka tisina ma roads akana but tichi bhadara mutero. Chivhayo’s starlink company was shut down among other of his operations, figure the rest on your own
On the starlink website its still saying expected Launch is Q3 2024. Can you please confirm and put your facts right
Same same on my browser, its showing Q3 2024
As much as we are excited we still shrink into harboring into other peoples technology without any home grown solutions. An innovative crunch slows future development i.e. we are emphasizing on importation of data yet our own local traffic on local services has barely grown. Will establishment of services we stand to gain on export of services. Imagine paying Facebook in America to advertise in Zimbabwe…
We need to look outside the box and have home grown solutions at some point
The government’s decision to accelerate Starlink licensing following SpaceX’s adjusted launch schedule reflects a proactive approach to leverage advancements in satellite technology for broader connectivity goals. By expediting the licensing process, authorities aim to swiftly deploy reliable internet services, especially in underserved regions. This move underscores a commitment to bridging digital divides and enhancing access to high-speed internet, crucial for economic development and educational opportunities. Meanwhile, unrelated matters like monitoring a cuyahoga county court docket continue to address local legal proceedings, ensuring judicial transparency and accountability alongside technological advancements in communication infrastructure.
we are doomed
Mmmmmm