CRAN upholds decision to reject Starlink licence applications

Staff Reporter

THE Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) has upheld its decision to reject Starlink Internet Services Namibia (Pty) Ltd’s licence applications, saying the reconsideration process did not provide new evidence or demonstrate any material error in the original decision.

CRAN Chief Executive Officer Emilia Nghikembua said the Authority received 624 requests for reconsideration from members of the public following its decision on 23 March 2026 to decline Starlink’s applications.

She said 622 of the submissions did not meet the legal requirements required to trigger a reconsideration process, while the remaining two requests that met the procedural threshold were considered on their merits but did not change the original outcome.