Starlink internet is coming to Malawi. The Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) issued a public notice on Friday.
Twitter user @King_Emm_ shared a screenshot of the notice that at its 77th Board meeting held on October 21 in Blantyre, it granted its first-ever high-speed low latency broadband satellite internet service licenses to Starlink Lilongwe Limited, a company owned by SpaceX.
The story of how Starlink is coming to Malawi actually began at World Mobile Congress in Barcelona, Spain, where MACRA executives attended and met with Starlink executives.
@elonmusk elon musk in Africa🥳with starlikk pretty sure in this sector Malawi is going to change 😅 pic.twitter.com/dj39MJ25hW
— Grown Simba (@King_Emm_) October 21, 2022
MACRA Director General Daud Suleman said that the licenses were issued after Starlink’s successful application and subsequent negotiations that began in February 2022.
Following Starlink’s successful application, MACRA issued Starlink the following three licenses:
- Network Facilities License
- Network Services License
- Application Service License
The licenses are expected to be published in the Government Gazette and will be effective then. Suleman also shared the following statement on LinkedIn:
“In February 2022, whilst attending the World Mobile Congress (WMC) in Barcelona, we chanced a meeting with StarLink executives and our team; myself, Andrew Nyirenda, and Thokozani Chimbe were invited to a quick meeting.”
“That kicked into motion an exciting journey that, today, the 21st of October 2022, has reached a critical junction, network service license issued by MACRA. It’s been a tough and exciting rollercoaster ride.”
“Our legacy laws and regulations, based on a 2016 act, finds itself in the traditional regulatory corner; innovation ahead of regulatory framework! The delivery and technology being used by StarLink is a challenge to any regulator.”
“StarLink Lilongwe LTD, the Malawian trading entity, had engaged all necessary local authorities and their application before MACRA was evaluated just like any other. Next step is to gazette the licenses and assign the required spectrum, boooom!”
“Connecting the unconnected in Malawi has just jumped on steroids. Buckle up, this will fly fast!”
“Welcome to Malawi, StarLink.”
In May 2021, Malawi’s Minister of Information, Gospel Kazako, told Parliament that the government was rolling out a new initiative to improve connectivity and accelerate the acquisition of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skills with a focus on the youth. Malawi’s Connect a School Program would replace another one that had been discontinued.
Kazako also highlighted several channels, including the high cost of installation, which was something that Starlink didn’t have. Kazako noted that Starlink’s installation kit, excluding shipping, was lower than the average cost of internet installation for a corporate client in the nation.
Starlink would be an opportunity to change the telecommunications sector in favor of the poor and digitally marginalized, according to The Nation. This thought is in line with what Elon Musk has said previously about Starlink.
“Education,” Elon Musk said, “is the path out of poverty and Internet access enables education.” Elon Musk said in September. In July, Elon Musk also spoke of how literacy and access to the internet were important solutions to solving poverty.
“Literacy and access to the internet, I think, are fundamentally helpful. Really, we’ve got to think beyond the United States. There are billions of people who have no internet connectivity at all–nothing. Or it’s like a very low bandwidth and it’s insanely expensive. For many parts of the world, this is the case–billions of people,” Elon Musk said.
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Tesla’s Sweden standoff draws UAW support as unions widen pressure campaign
In a post shared on social media, the United Auto Workers stated that it stands with IF Metall workers who are striking against Tesla Sweden.
The United Auto Workers (UAW) has publicly expressed solidarity with Swedish union IF Metall as its strike against Tesla continues, adding international attention to the extended labor dispute in the European country.
UAW supports IF Metall’s strike
In a post shared on social media, the United Auto Workers stated that it stands with IF Metall workers who are striking against Tesla Sweden. UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith stated that the union fully supports IF Metall’s efforts to secure a collective bargaining agreement with the automaker.
“UAW stands with IF Metall workers on strike against Tesla, fighting for a collective bargaining agreement. UAW Region 8 Director Tim Smith pledged the UAW’s full support and solidarity,” the UAW International Union stated in its post.
IF Metall launched its strike against Tesla Sweden in late 2023 over the electric car maker’s refusal to sign a collective agreement. The action has since been supported by other unions through sympathy strikes affecting ports, logistics, and service operations.
Tesla Sweden has maintained that it complies with Swedish labor laws and offers competitive pay and benefits, though the company has not publicly commented on the UAW’s latest show of support.
Tesla owners get union attention
Pro-union groups in Sweden have recently expanded their outreach beyond Tesla’s facilities and workforce. Activists have begun distributing informational leaflets against the EV maker directly on Tesla vehicles parked across Stockholm, as per a report from Swedish outlet Dagens Arbete.
The yellow slips, designed to resemble parking notices, urge regular Tesla owners to pressure the company into signing a collective agreement. Organizers involved in the effort have argued that the leaflets are intended to simply inform consumers rather than single out individual owners. When owners are present, however, activists stated that they explain the dispute verbally.
Tesla has not issued a public response regarding the leaflet distribution campaign as of writing.
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Starlink goes mainstream with first-ever SpaceX Super Bowl advertisement
SpaceX used the Super Bowl broadcast to promote Starlink, pitching the service as fast, affordable broadband available across much of the world.
SpaceX aired its first-ever Super Bowl commercial on Sunday, marking a rare move into mass-market advertising as it seeks to broaden adoption of its Starlink satellite internet service.
Starlink Super Bowl advertisement
SpaceX used the Super Bowl broadcast to promote Starlink, pitching the service as fast, affordable broadband available across much of the world.
The advertisement highlighted Starlink’s global coverage and emphasized simplified customer onboarding, stating that users can sign up for service in minutes through the company’s website or by phone in the United States.
The campaign comes as SpaceX accelerates Starlink’s commercial expansion. The satellite internet service grew its global user base in 2025 to over 9 million subscribers and entered several dozen additional markets, as per company statements.
Starlink growth and momentum
Starlink has seen notable success in numerous regions across the globe. Brazil, in particular, has become one of Starlink’s largest growth regions, recently surpassing one million users, as per Ookla data. The company has also expanded beyond residential broadband into aviation connectivity and its emerging direct-to-cellular service.
Starlink has recently offered aggressive promotions in select regions, including discounted or free hardware, waived installation fees, and reduced monthly pricing. Some regions even include free Starlink Mini for select subscribers. In parallel, SpaceX has introduced AI-driven tools to streamline customer sign-ups and service selection.
The Super Bowl appearance hints at a notable shift for Starlink, which previously relied largely on organic growth and enterprise contracts. The ad suggests SpaceX is positioning Starlink as a mainstream alternative to traditional broadband providers.
Tesla engineers deflected calls from Apple on a daily basis while the tech giant was developing its now-defunct electric vehicle program, which was known as “Project Titan.”
Back in 2022 and 2023, Apple was developing an EV in a top-secret internal fashion, hoping to launch it by 2028 with a fully autonomous driving suite.
However, Apple bailed on the project in early 2024, as Project Titan abandoned the project in an email to over 2,000 employees. The company had backtracked its expectations for the vehicle on several occasions, initially hoping to launch it with no human driving controls and only with an autonomous driving suite.
Apple canceling its EV has drawn a wide array of reactions across tech
It then planned for a 2028 launch with “limited autonomous driving.” But it seemed to be a bit of a concession at that point; Apple was not prepared to take on industry giants like Tesla.
Wedbush’s Dan Ives noted in a communication to investors that, “The writing was on the wall for Apple with a much different EV landscape forming that would have made this an uphill battle. Most of these Project Titan engineers are now all focused on AI at Apple, which is the right move.”
Apple did all it could to develop a competitive EV that would attract car buyers, including attempting to poach top talent from Tesla.
In a new podcast interview with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, it was revealed that Apple had been calling Tesla engineers nonstop during its development of the now-defunct project. Musk said the engineers “just unplugged their phones.”
Musk said in full:
“They were carpet bombing Tesla with recruiting calls. Engineers just unplugged their phones. Their opening offer without any interview would be double the compensation at Tesla.”
Interestingly, Apple had acquired some ex-Tesla employees for its project, like Senior Director of Engineering Dr. Michael Schwekutsch, who eventually left for Archer Aviation.
Tesla took no legal action against Apple for attempting to poach its employees, as it has with other companies. It came after EV rival Rivian in mid-2020, after stating an “alarming pattern” of poaching employees was noticed.
Tesla’s Sweden standoff draws UAW support as unions widen pressure campaign
Starlink goes mainstream with first-ever SpaceX Super Bowl advertisement
