Amazon targets South Africa with satellite internet

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Amazon says it will launch satellite internet services in South Africa, moving into a market where Elon Musk’s Starlink is still waiting for regulatory approval.

The company said Wednesday that Amazon Leo, its low-Earth orbit satellite network, will be offered through a partnership with South African internet provider Herotel. Under the agreement, Herotel—which Amazon describes as South Africa’s largest fixed internet service provider—will use Amazon Leo’s technology to launch a new service called Evry. A commercial launch is planned for 2027.

Amazon said this is “the first Amazon Leo agreement of this kind in Africa,” but did not disclose financial terms. The service is aimed at customers in areas with limited or no connectivity.

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The move comes as SpaceX’s Starlink has yet to secure a license in South Africa because of local ownership rules. Telecom companies operating in the country, including those with foreign investment, must provide 30% equity to historically disadvantaged groups, a policy designed to address the legacy of apartheid-era racial inequality.

Musk, who was born in South Africa and left in his late teens, has refused to give up ownership stakes. He has called the country’s Black empowerment policy “openly racist” and has repeatedly accused the Pretoria government of discriminating against white people.

Amazon, founded by Jeff Bezos, launched its first batch of low-Earth orbit satellites last year and says it now has more than 390 satellites deployed. That is still well behind Starlink’s fleet of more than 10,000.