Over the recent weekend, Dandemutande informed its customers through an email that it has become an Authorized Starlink Reseller, marking it as the third company in Zimbabwe to officially announce its reselling partnership with Starlink services.
The initial buzz around Dandemutande’s association with Starlink surfaced in December 2023. However, the process of Starlink’s licensing in Zimbabwe quickly turned into a political matter, with IMC being initially perceived as the exclusive distributor for the country. This arrangement, however, did not materialize, and Starlink services were activated over the weekend, suggesting that the necessary licensing had been obtained.
The recent email from Dandemutande read in part:
I am thrilled to share some exciting news with you – Starlink, the innovative satellite internet service, is now officially licensed in Zimbabwe! We are delighted to announce that Dandemutande Investments Pvt Ltd is an Authorized Reseller for Starlink services in the African region where Starlink provides services…
…We are pleased to inform you that you can now pre-order your Starlink kits through Dandemutande Investments. We will be providing an end-to-end service from installation, customer services to subscriptions as part of our offering.
Moreover, through our subsidiary Utande Internet Services Botswana, we can facilitate orders for Starlink services. In the region, Utande Internet Services are available in Malawi and in Namibia we are operating under the Africa Online brand. In Zambia, we have incorporated Utande Internet Services Zambia and services will be available in Q1 2025…
The situation recalls the Africa Online deal from nearly a decade ago, highlighting the complexities of telecommunications licensing and partnerships.
Interestingly, despite this significant development in the telecommunications sector, the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) has not made any public comments. When Techzim reached out to the regulator two weeks prior, they were informed that Starlink had not yet received its license. This silence from POTRAZ could indicate political sensitivities surrounding the licensing process and the need for careful communication.
As of now, the Starlink website officially lists only Paratus as an Authorized Reseller in Zimbabwe. However, alongside Dandemutande, two other companies, Frampol and ZODSAT, have declared themselves as authorized resellers, inviting customers to purchase Starlink services through them.
