You can find out more about it here: John Tanner 12 April 2024 372 The Office of the Regulator in Samoa (OOTR), has reportedly banned imports of Starlink Kits until SpaceX’s licence application to provide LEO satellite broadband to Samoan consumers is approved.
The Samoa Observer reported that the OOTR had issued the ban after receiving reports of a number residents who purchased Starlink service via overseas markets such as Australia and New Zealand and then brought Starlink kit into Samoa in order to use it at home or their businesses.
The report stated that people who import Starlink say it is because they are cheaper, faster, and more available than local broadband services.
Lematua Gisa Fuatai Purcell, the regulator in Samoa, said anyone caught bringing Starlink Kits into Samoa would have their equipment confiscated. The report stated that people who imported Starlink Kits prior to the Ban for Business purposes will need to take them to the OOTR to be type approved. After which, they can use it for 12 months.
The fact that Starlink was cleared by the Cabinet to operate on the island last month is also a part of the problem.
Talamua Online News reported that OOTR, in a recent public forum held earlier this week, clarified the Starlink clearance to operate on Samoa was only for providing connectivity to healthcare and educational facilities through a partnership Bluwave Wireless.
Purcell confirmed in the report that SpaceX had submitted a request for a licence to operate on Samoa. The application was being reviewed and is likely to be granted, it said. She said that Starlink has selected Bluwave to be its local agent in Samoa for satellite services other than those related to healthcare and education.
Samoa will continue to be a lawless country until Starlink is officially licensed in Samoa. The report stated that anyone who does not submit their kit for type approval, and then continues to use it before Starlink has been officially licensed to offer service in Samoa may face prosecution.