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Starlink and Your Farm: How to Get Connected in SA – Even While the Ban Is Still in Place
- Addy Mabasa
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
By News Desk | November 28, 2025
Your farm is ready for the future. Soil sensors, drones, AI yield forecasts, and WhatsApp market deals are all waiting for one thing: reliable, fast internet. In rural South Africa, that’s still the biggest bottleneck. Starlink promises to fix it overnight with 100–200 Mbps beamed straight from space to even the remotest Karoo sheep farm or Limpopo avocado grove. One small dish, no towers, no cables, no excuses.
But as of November 2025, Starlink is still not legally allowed to sell or operate in South Africa. ICASA has not issued a commercial licence, hardware imports are banned, and roaming accounts are being suspended with the message “unauthorised territory.” Grey-market kits are being seized at the border, and fines can reach R100,000.
The good news? The ban is cracking. A Vodacom-Starlink partnership was announced this month, government is openly discussing B-BBEE exemptions, and a full launch is widely expected in the first half of 2026. Until then, here’s exactly what South African farmers can (and cannot) do right now, plus the best legal alternatives that already work brilliantly on farms today.
Where Things Stand Today (November 2025)
Official Starlink kits may not be sold or imported.
Roaming accounts activated in neighbouring countries (Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, eSwatini, Zimbabwe, Zambia) are being shut down when the dish is detected in South Africa.
ICASA and SARS are actively confiscating dishes at ports of entry.
Vodacom and Starlink have signed a partnership to use Starlink as backhaul for rural 4G/5G towers and are lobbying for rapid licensing.
The Minister of Communications has confirmed that policy changes are being fast-tracked, possibly before or during the 2026 G20 summit that South Africa is hosting.
In short: the lights are green, but the gate is not yet open.
Risky Workarounds (Do at Your Own Peril)
Some farmers are still managing to run Starlink today, but the risks are rising fast:
Roaming kits bought in neighbouring countries – still the most common method, but Starlink started mass suspensions in mid-2025. Many Free State and Limpopo farmers report six to nine months of use before the service is cut.
Grey-market resellers inside SA – dishes smuggled in and sold for R18,000–R25,000 installed. VPNs are sometimes used to mask location, but ICASA can still triangulate the dish. Seizures and fines have increased sharply in 2025.
“Corporate” or “maritime” accounts – a few larger agribusinesses have managed to register under business or mobility plans, but these are also being closed when the dish stays stationary in South Africa.
Bottom line: if you go the grey route today, treat it as a short-term bridge, not a long-term solution. The moment the official launch happens, legal kits will be cheaper, fully supported, and future-proof.
Legal, Reliable Alternatives That Already Power Thousands of SA Farms
You don’t have to wait for Starlink. These South African-approved options deliver excellent speeds today and many are subsidised:
Vodacom Rural 5G and Fixed-LTE
Expanding aggressively into agri-zones, often 50–150 Mbps. Unlimited packages start at R299/month for the first 12 months. Vodacom’s own Starlink backhaul deal means many of these towers will get even faster in 2026.
MTN 5G Agri Packages
Targeted rollouts in the maize triangle and citrus belts. Speeds regularly exceed 200 Mbps where coverage exists. Smallholder bundles from R199/month with free router installation.
YahClick (HughesNet satellite)
Nationwide coverage, 25–50 Mbps, low latency. Widely used by game lodges and remote farms. Packages R1,000–R2,000/month. Works perfectly with Aerobotics, Farmonaut, and MyFarmWeb.
Liquid Intelligent Technologies mesh networks
Farm-wide Wi-Fi networks that blanket hundreds of hectares. Often combined with solar and battery backup to survive load-shedding. Many macadamia and avocado estates in Mpumalanga and Limpopo run entirely on Liquid mesh.
Rain Fixed 5G
Unlimited, uncapped, unshaped plans from R479/month where their towers reach. Rapidly expanding along the N1 and N3 corridors.
Frogfoot Air and Cool Ideas rural fibre
Where fibre has reached small towns, these providers are pushing uncapped 100–500 Mbps packages for under R800/month.
Preparing Your Farm for the Day Starlink Goes Legal
When the launch finally happens (most analysts say Q1–Q2 2026), demand will be massive and stock will disappear fast. Get ahead:
Pre-register interest on the official Starlink availability map (starlink.com/map) – you’ll be first in line.
Budget R9,000–R12,000 for the standard kit + installation. Monthly fee expected around R800–R1,200 for unlimited residential/business plans.
Plan your mounting spot now: clear southern sky view, ideally on a pole or rooftop.
Pair it with solar and batteries – a 300 W panel + 100 Ah lithium setup runs a Starlink dish 24/7 during load-shedding.
The Bottom Line
Starlink will be a game-changer for South African agriculture the moment it’s legal. Real-time drone control, live IoT data, generative AI yield forecasts, and seamless export traceability will finally become reality even in the deepest rural areas.
Until that day, lean on Vodacom, MTN, YahClick, or Liquid – thousands of farmers already are, and the results speak for themselves.
The digital drought is ending. Whether it’s a tower today or a satellite tomorrow, your farm can be online, profitable, and future-proof.
What’s your current farm internet setup? Drop it in the comments – let’s help each other stay online.
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