Published: 10 June 2025

One of South Africa's biggest Starlink kit and accessories importers, IcasaSePush, has shut down operations.

The company explained it was stepping back from the market as its continued presence was doing more harm than good.

IcasaSePush said it launched to connect those South Africans "left behind" with poor Internet connectivity in remote areas.

"Over the past few years, we've seen the real impact: families reconnected, small businesses empowered, and rural communities finally online," IcasaSePush said.

Although the company was proud of its contribution, it said the national conversation around Starlink had shifted.

"Our efforts are now seen by some as disruptive to the broader movement - and we won't let that slow progress," it stated.

IcasaSePush thanked its community for the support and said it would keep advocating behind the scenes for affordable high-speed Internet for all. "It should be a basic right," IcasaSePush said.

The notice was signed off by the IcasaSePush team and "Frank Abagnale," a reference to the infamous "Catch Me If You Can" fraudster turned security consultant.

While Icasa chairperson Mothibi Ramusi recently told Newzroom Afrika the organisation had confiscated Starlink equipment from IcasaSePush, the company continues to deny any such action.

Adding weight to IcasaSePush's claim was Ramusi's allegation that IcasaSePush was based in the Northern Cape, while the company operates out of Centurion.

It is possible that Ramusi conflated IcasaSePush with another former Starlink distributor - IT Lec - which the regulator had previously served with a cease-and-desist letter in 2023.

IcasaSePush also disputed Ramusi's claim that it had a commercial agreement with Starlink owner SpaceX and that SpaceX served it with a cease-and-desist to stop selling its hardware.

The company said it had received numerous cease-and-desist letters but these were related to trademark infringements.

The company deliberately used "Sparkling" as often as possible when referring to Starlink in its marketing materials to avoid upsetting SpaceX.

IcasaSePush's announcement also included a "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" reference.

IcasaSePush's shutdown comes after Starlink recently began cutting off customers using its roaming services for full-time connectivity in South Africa a few weeks ago.

That came mere days after a Parliamentary portfolio committee meeting in which an MK Party MP brought up IcasaSePush's operation in South Africa and alleged it was a front for Starlink itself.

IcasaSePush had established itself as a top choice for its reliability and helpful customer guidance, especially given the ever-changing roaming terms and conditions.

IT-Lec was another major unofficial distributor, but its demise was much more controversial. In mid-2023, the company was served cease-and-desist letters from both Icasa and SpaceX.

The ISP told MyBroadband it transferred its customer base to a new entity called Starsat Africa, which it said was registered in Mozambique, to keep users connected.

However, hundreds of Starsat Africa customers had their equipment bricked in March 2024 after Starlink established the firm was reselling subscriptions with a healthy profit margin.

While Starlink distributes its equipment through third parties, it deals directly with customers when it comes to subscription management and reselling is banned under its terms of service.

Fortunately for IcasaSePush customers, the company had treaded more carefully around this issue.

Instead of charging customers extra for monthly subscriptions and reselling packages, the company's profit relied on once-off markups on Starlink equipment, registration fees, and value-added services.

It registered customers' subscriptions in their own names and with their preferred credentials, giving users full control over their accounts.

That ensured customers could deal directly with Starlink instead of working through a middleman.

Even though IcasaSePush has stopped offering its services, people who used the company to get Starlink will not have bricked equipment.

However, people will now have to wait until Starlink lifts its roaming restriction in South Africa or officially launches locally.

The latter may only happen if the South African government adopts Equity-Equivalent Investment Programmes (EEIPs) in the telecoms industry.

Starlink has encouraged South Africans who showed interest in the service to support the communications minister's policy direction that aims to introduce EEIPs.
- mybroadband

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