One of the most significant barriers to economic growth and development in South Africa is something we cannot always see — the absence of fast, affordable, and reliable internet where it’s needed most.
While urban areas enjoy competitive data markets and growing fibre penetration, vast swathes of rural South Africa remain offline. According to recent data, nearly 30 million South Africans — especially those in low-income and outlying areas — still lack fast and reliable internet access at home, school, or community facilities. This is not just a digital gap; it is a development chasm.
If we are serious about building a modern, competitive, and inclusive economy, we need to stop thinking about internet access as a luxury and start treating it as basic infrastructure — no different from electricity, water, or roads. In this context, internet satellite operators have the potential to be game-changers.
Satellite internet providers, like Starlink, Amazon, and others, can deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity directly to households, farms, schools, and clinics — without needing kilometres of cable or decades of rollout. This “leapfrog” technology allows us to reach areas traditional mobile and fibre networks have deemed too difficult, too expensive, or too remote.
The societal benefits are as profound as the economic ones. Imagine a Grade 9 learner in a village in Limpopo able to stream world-class tutorials in real time. Or a nurse in KwaZulu-Natal updating patient records using cloud-based systems. Or a small-scale farmer using GPS weather tools and real-time pricing data to make better decisions and access local and international markets. With high-speed connectivity, these are no longer futuristic visions — they become everyday realities.
Satellite internet also creates immediate economic multipliers. It allows entrepreneurs to participate in the digital economy, enables remote work in non-metropolitan areas, and reduces the digital infrastructure gap that continues to deter investment in many regions. It enhances public service delivery and makes e-government a viable channel for millions.
Yet, despite the clear benefits, foreign-owned satellite operators currently face regulatory obstacles which, if left unchanged, will permanently exclude South Africa from the benefits of such technology — a technology that has already been introduced in over 30 African countries, most recently in Lesotho.
If South Africa wants to accelerate economic growth and inclusion, there needs to be broad support for the Ministerial directive from Communications Minister, Solly Malatsi, that will allow for an equity equivalent to be used as part of B-BBEE criteria. Equity equivalents have already been successfully used by other multinational companies, such as Microsoft when they entered the South African market in 2019, bringing enormous benefits.
A regulatory environment that enables alternative equity equivalent models to be used by foreign-owned operators, while ensuring they contribute meaningfully to local development and empowerment, is not only possible — it’s essential.
Inclusive growth depends on inclusive infrastructure. The private sector has the solutions. The government has the mandate. And the people — particularly those in underserved areas — have waited long enough.
It’s time to unlock the full potential of satellite internet as a public good and a private opportunity. If we do, we won’t just bridge the digital divide — we’ll build a stronger, smarter, and more connected South Africa.
