SpaceX has embarked on a proactive campaign to curtail the utilization of its Starlink high-speed internet service in regions where it lacks authorization.
Recent days have seen Starlink customers in Sudan, Zimbabwe, and South Africa receiving email notifications from SpaceX, alerting them to the imminent termination of their service by month’s end. These notifications were dispatched to users residing in areas where Starlink has yet to receive full regulatory clearance.
“The availability of our Mobile Service Plans is contingent upon various factors, including regulatory approvals,” the emails cautioned, alluding to Starlink’s roaming products designed to facilitate internet access across different countries.
Commencing its Low Earth Orbit (LEO) internet service in 2019, Starlink has been fervently seeking regulatory endorsements worldwide. Presently, the company boasts authorization for operations in 72 countries.
However, a notable challenge arises from the practice of intermediaries procuring and activating Starlink kits in authorized territories, subsequently reselling them to consumers in restricted regions to circumvent limitations. These intermediaries leverage the company’s “Roaming” services to facilitate access to Starlink’s internet provisions.
In its correspondence with users, Starlink underscored that its regional roaming arrangements are intended for temporary travel and transit, explicitly discouraging permanent usage in unauthorized locations. Users who have engaged in roaming for over two months without returning to their designated country of device procurement will face service restrictions.
African nations, including Sudan, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have witnessed consumers acquiring Starlink kits from intermediaries for domestic use. In Zimbabwe, authorities have initiated measures to confiscate Starlink kits, resulting in the arrest and fining of some users.
