By Staff Writer
A Chinese mining company has been fined US$700 for using Starlink internet service which is developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
The company, SAN HE Mining Company based in Guruve was fined by a Bindura magistrate for possession of a router without a license.
In a statement on Thursday, the National Prosecuting Authority said the router has been seized.
“SAN HE Mining in Guruve was sentenced to pay a fine of US$700 by a Bindura magistrate for contravening the Postal and Telecommunication Act, “willfully possessing and or operating a radio station without a license or authorisation from the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ)”.
“On the 5th of December 2023, the police received a report from POTRAZ to the effect that the company was using Star-Link equipment.
“The Police proceeded to the mine where they recovered the Star-Link router and antenna,” reads the statement.
Starlink is one of the fastest internet services delivering 50Mbps to 200Mbps in download speeds and about 30Mbps in upload speeds.
It is not yet licensed to operate in Zimbabwe.
