JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's communications regulator ​ICASA said ⁠on Wednesday that any ‌move to amend rules on local Black ownership ​requirements would require changes to the country's ​Electronic Communications Act (ECA), ​which the government later said it intended to do.

At present, South Africa's ECA requires foreign-owned communications licensees to sell 30% of equity in their ​local subsidiaries ‌to historically disadvantaged ⁠groups.

⁠Satellite company Starlink has criticised the rule.

Communications minister Solly ‌Malatsi said the ⁠government plans to pursue legislative amendments to the ECA to allow equity equivalent investment programmes to complement ownership requirements in the telecoms sector.

This could pave the way for satellite-internet companies, including Starlink, to ‌operate in South Africa.

The regulator ⁠said, "full alignment with ​all provisions of the (ICT sector) code, including equity equivalent investment programmes, would ​require a ‌legislative amendment to the ⁠current ECA."