Elon Musk is seeking to expand Starlink's operations in South Africa, proposing investments in battery production and other areas in exchange for relaxation of local Black ownership requirements.
Elon Musk left South Africa aged 17 to seek his fortune in North America. Thirty-five years and $468 billion in net worth later, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has come knocking for investments from Musk’s array of companies. The two share a country of birth, but that’s not all.
Musk has crossed into the political sphere as a leading adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, and he wants something from Ramaphosa: dilution of a local Black ownership requirement for his Starlink satellite network. Ramaphosa and Musk have been in contact to discuss ways for the government to change the rules to allow Starlink’s high-speed Internet to operate legally in South Africa, according to people familiar with their communication. In return, Musk’s companies would invest in areas such as battery production for Tesla Inc., the people said, asking not to be named since the discussions were private. Those efforts to get a deal across the line are being stepped up now that Musk has taken on an even more prominent role at Trump’s side, they said. The push and pull in South Africa is just one example of how the global wall of resistance to Musk’s satellite business is crumbling. Even before Musk spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars to help Trump retake the US presidency, SpaceX’s Starlink was picking off swaths of the world country by country. Now, worries that the world’s richest person would subvert sensitive state-run telecommunications channels around the globe are being replaced by attempts by government officials trying to tap economic incentives from Musk’s industrial complex of companies. A representative for Ramaphosa told Bloomberg that the president and Musk had discussed Starlink as part of a process to review policies around satellite-based technologies. The spokesperson added that Ramaphosa is very interested in attracting Musk’s business for investment in South Africa.
STARLINK ELON MUSK SOUTH AFRICA INVESTMENTS TECHNOLOGY
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Starlink free Wi-Fi coming to airplanes in South Africa — but there is a catchStarlink says that its in-flight Wi-Fi service works in the air over “most countries,” beyond those which have granted regulatory approval for the service.
Read more »
Starlink may finally launch in South Africa by mid-2025Starlink, the satellite internet provider owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, could soon expand its services to South Africa, thanks to upcoming regulatory changes, Cape {town} Etc reports.
Read more »
Expected Starlink South Africa launch period revealedWith regulations being changed from early next year, Starlink is set to arrive sooner than anticipated in South Africa.
Read more »
Starlink Launch in South Africa Delayed, OPPO Releases ColorOS 15, and More Tech NewsThis article covers three key tech stories: Starlink's delayed launch in South Africa, the release of OPPO's ColorOS 15, and a discussion on online scams.
Read more »
The BEE workaround to get Starlink licensed in South AfricaStarlink will have to invest in local companies if it wants to operate in South Africa. This is the current plan of things.
Read more »
Nigeria Seeks South Africa's Support For Brics And G20 BidNigeria has expressed its desire for South Africa's support in its bid to join the Brics group and to become a full member of the G20. This was announced by Nigeria's Foreign Affairs Minister Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu during the 11th South African-Nigerian binational commission session in Cape Town.
Read more »