For months, South Africa’s relationship with Starlink, the Elon Musk-owned satellite Internet provider, has been complicated. Now, the country has unveiled its own satellite Internet player. Coincidence? You decide..On Tuesday, South Africa launched BrainSAT Satellite Services, a satellite Internet and communications company operating in the country through a partnership with UAE-based satellite operator Space42. The service says it would provide broadband internet and satellite phone connectivity for places like remote villages, mines, ships, or disaster zones.
Starlink has spent over a year trying to enter South Africa. However, because South Africa has strict local ownership requirements, those expansion efforts have been slowed down. Why BrainSAT is not fighting the same battles as Starlink is because it arrives through a government-backed partnership with Space42 and forms part of South Africa’s own national satellite strategy.
At the end of 2025, over 20% of South Africans remained offline. The country also estimated that it spends about R100 billion ($6 billion) every year on foreign communications services. The government came up with a brilliant plan to cut costs and still show Starlink who’s boss—although indirectly—but someone in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet is acutely aware of the timing and interesting circumstances surrounding this launch.
Analysts are of the view that if BrainSAT succeeds, people living beyond the reach of fibre and reliable mobile networks could gain another way to get online. Whether BrainSAT, Starlink, or another provider wins customers, the bigger prize is getting more South Africans online.