Johannesburg – The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has disconnected the StarSat services over a licence renewal dispute.
StarSat, operated by OnDigital Media (ODM), revealed that earlier on Wednesday, (2 October 2024), ICASA officials, accompanied by the police, entered the company’s Midrand offices and disconnected services.
During this process, not only were ODM’s services impacted, but also those of StarTimes Media’s pan-African broadcast.
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As the service provider to ODM and a subsidiary of the larger StarTimes Group, StarTimes Media holds a valid individual electronics communication network service (ECNS) licence for transmissions across Africa.
“While we acknowledge ICASA’s mandate to shut down ODM’s South African services, we are appalled by the manner in which ICASA disregarded ODM’s reasonable initial request for a discussion regarding which equipment should be removed, should the execution order be carried out,” the company said.
“Instead, ICASA opted to remove all equipment, including that belonging to StarTimes Media, which has adversely affected its pan-African broadcast services.
“This disconnection is highly concerning as it affects legitimate operations under this licence.
“While ODM acknowledges an ongoing dispute, it strongly contests the disconnection of a valid StarTimes Media connection, which it believes to be unlawful.
“ODM is exploring all legal avenues to resolve this issue swiftly and restore services.
“The company’s legal representatives have urgently approached the courts and will continue to keep all stakeholders, including customers, employees, and the media, informed as the situation progresses.”
*This article first appeared in our sister publication techfinancials.co.za
