Frampol receives Potraz clearance for Starlink Resellership in Zimbabwe

Frampol has been given clearance by the the Postal and Telecommunications Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) to be a Starlink Agency/Reseller. 

We talked to company officials who showed us documentation proof that they got the clearance. 

I know that some are about to ask, ‘Is it still worth it for them now that Starlink is at capacity in Harare and getting there in other major cities?’

If you recall, these resellers cater mostly to businesses and not individual customers. There is still business to be done in the business space where kit shortages are somehow a thing to an extent. 

So, while TelOne and Aura got a massive head start, Frampol still has a lot to do. Frampol has been in business since 2004 and I would imagine some of their customers remained loyal and are ready to be served now. 

How we got here

Late last year, Potraz denied some companies clearance to offer Starlink services, despite them getting Starlink Authorised Reseller status. 

One of those companies was Frampol. In fact, as far we know, Frampol was the first company to get Starlink Authorised Reseller status in Zimbabwe. Beating out the politically-connected IMC which seemed to be on course to be a monopoly in that space but is still to gain the same status. 

Potraz communicated that: 

It is a condition of the STARLINK Licences that such Agencies, Dealers and ISPs shall be subject to clearance by POTRAZ. This condition applies to both existing and prospective ISPs and Network Operators.The sale or distribution of STARLINK User Terminals without appropriate licensing and clearance is, therefore, an offence punishable by law.

It is this condition that locked Frampol out for months but finally, clearance has been given.