The Indian Ocean archipelago of Seychelles has just plugged into a new era of connectivity. Starlink, Elon Musk’s globe-spanning satellite internet constellation, has officially gone live in the island nation, marking another milestone in the company’s relentless African expansion. The soft launch, overseen by Vice-President Sebastien Pillay in collaboration with the Seychelles Communications Regulatory Authority, came with a clearly defined regulatory framework designed to integrate the service without upending the existing telecom order.
Officials were quick to frame Starlink’s arrival as a complement rather than a competitor. They emphasised that the low-orbit network would bridge persistent gaps in connectivity, particularly in remote outer islands and hilly interiors where laying fibre or erecting cell towers remains prohibitively challenging. For Seychellois households and businesses, this means faster, more reliable internet where traditional providers have struggled to reach.
But just a few thousand kilometres south, the regulatory picture looks very different. In South Africa, Starlink remains conspicuously absent—and unlicensed. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) mandates two licences for operation, and the deal-breaker remains the 30% Black ownership requirement under B-BBEE regulations. SpaceX’s global policy flatly refuses equity transfer, leaving the company in a protracted standoff with local authorities.
Into that vacuum, a rival has stepped. Amazon’s Project Kuiper, distributed locally by Herotel under the brand “Evry,” has secured a clear runway for a 2027 South African debut—technically positioning itself ahead of Starlink on local soil. However, the service remains commercially untested anywhere, with beta launches only expected from late 2026. For now, Seychelles enjoys the satellite spotlight while South Africa watches from the sidelines, waiting for its own connectivity puzzle to unlock.
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