South Africa – Using Starlink’s roaming service as a permanent internet connection in South Africa has become increasingly challenging for many users. The satellite service, operated by SpaceX, has not officially launched in the country, yet numerous locals have been utilising its roaming subscription through kits purchased overseas.
Recent feedback from local Starlink community groups indicates that users must connect their kits in their country of registration for several hours every two months to keep the roaming service active. Some support agents have even informed South African users that they need to access the service in their home country for multiple months before the roaming feature can be restored.
Starlink's roaming service has previously been hailed as a game-changer for connectivity, especially in rural areas where traditional broadband options are limited to slow and costly satellite services or unreliable fixed-wireless access. However, the terms and conditions associated with the roaming service have always specified that it is not intended for permanent residential use in regions lacking official regulatory approval.
According to Starlink's guidelines, users can only utilise the roaming feature for up to 60 days at a time before needing to reconnect their kit in the country of registration. This measure is designed to prevent customers in wealthier nations from taking advantage of cheaper roaming plans available in other regions.
Despite these regulations, enforcement has been inconsistent. SpaceX began cracking down on users violating these terms more than a year after the roaming service was launched in early 2023. Following a previous warning in May 2024 regarding roaming violations, the company issued stricter warnings in August 2024, resulting in many South African users being cut off within days.
As of now, subscribers who wish to continue using their roaming service in South Africa must ensure their kits are connected in their country of registration every two months. This process has been relatively straightforward, as several neighbouring countries—Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe—have officially launched Starlink services.
For customers whose kits are registered in more distant countries, the solution has been to migrate their accounts to the nearest country where Starlink is operational. Users would travel to that country, known as “phoning home,” to reset their service. In recent months, many have successfully restored their service using this method.
One unofficial importer of Starlink kits, IcasaSePush, even began offering a service to transport customers' kits to their country of registration for reactivation. However, the landscape shifted dramatically in late October 2024 when Starlink suspended new sales of its roaming service across Africa.
This decision not only made it impossible for new customers to purchase roaming packages but also prevented existing users from changing their kits' home country. South Africans with subscriptions linked to far-off African nations could no longer transfer their accounts to closer countries with official support.
In the past few days, Starlink has made it even more difficult for existing users to reactivate their service. Several roaming users have reported that their kits were reblocked upon returning to South Africa after attempting to reset them in their countries of registration. One user shared a conversation with a Starlink support agent, who indicated that he would need to remain in his country of registration for several months. Only then would his kit be reset for roaming access.
The support agent also mentioned that the unavailability of Starlink roaming in the region was due to congestion issues. “We have no ETA for when the roaming service will become available again,” the agent stated, leaving many users frustrated and uncertain.
A source familiar with the situation revealed to MyBroadband that Starlink might only resume orders for new roaming subscriptions after establishing a ground station in Southern Africa. This development raises further questions about the future of Starlink’s service in the region.
One user who successfully reset their kit explained that they had to spend the night in Eswatini to ensure their service would remain active upon returning to South Africa. There have also been recommendations for users to turn off their kits after returning and check their Starlink app to confirm that any notifications about service restrictions have been cleared.
