Starlink should be in the mix; SA needs as much connectivity as it can get - tech expert

702's John Perlman talks to Duncan McLeod, editor of business technology news platform TechCentral.

In the buildup to President Cyril Ramaphosa's meeting with US President Donald Trump, the question of getting Elon Musk's Starlink into South Africa was back in the headlines.

There have been reports that Pretoria is ready to offer Musk a deal, possibly offering a workaround of local black ownership laws, which appears to be the sticking point around the satellite broadband service applying for a licence to operate here.

John Perlman chats to TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod about how much South Africa actually needs this particular service.

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Musk certainly does want to launch it here, McLeod remarks, as the country would be a very important market for Starlink.

There's a lot of pent-up demand for the low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband solution that the company is, he goes on.

"It's going to be popular. There are a lot of industries that will want it like agriculture and mining. Also, I think most consumers who live in smaller towns where fibre broadband hasn't necessarily reached yet it'll be seen as a viable alternative."

Duncan McLeod, Editor - TechCentral

"Think of people who want to go and live in a small Karoo town and there are no other options for connectivity or you live on a farm; this is a fast Internet connection that brings the world to you."

Duncan McLeod, Editor - TechCentral

While Starlink is not the only game in town, says McLeod, it is the market leader at this stage.

He describes this provider as the gold standard when it comes to low-earth orbit satellite services.

"We know that Jeff Bezos through Amazon is launching Project Kuiper, which is a direct competitor, but it's years behind Starlink and they're just now starting to launch satellites."

Duncan McLeod, Editor - TechCentral

"Starlink is part of the communications mix... We need this sort of thing in the mix; we need as much connectivity as we can get and Starlink will certainly provide that, especially in rural areas where there's no technology infrastructure at the moment."

Duncan McLeod, Editor - TechCentral

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