HARARE – A Chinese mining company has been fined US$700 for using the Starlink internet service, which Zimbabwe is yet to licence.
Authorities also seized the Starlink router and antenna.
In a statement on Thursday, the National Prosecuting Authority said San He Mining Company had paid the fine at the Bindura Magistrates Court for the offence of “wilfully possessing and or operating a radio station without a licence or authorisation from the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (PRAZ).”
Prosecutors said police were tipped off by PRAZ on December 5 last year that the company was using the high speed satelite-based internet from Starlink, a company owned by Elon Musk.
Zimbabwe’s Information Communication Technology minister Tatenda Mavetera has confirmed that Starlink has applied to roll out its internet service in Zimbabwe, but POTRAZ is yet to issue the necessary approvals.
In the interim, POTRAZ has warned that it will clamp down on people using Starlink which has been licenced in Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique in the region.
Tests conducted by technology blog TechZim last year showed Starlink broadband had download speeds of 130 Mbps in Harare, compared to the average 20 Mbps offered by state company TelOne.
