Amazon to Launch Satellite Internet Service in South Africa in 2027 via Herotel Partnership

Amazon announced Wednesday that it will launch its satellite internet service Amazon Leo in South Africa in 2027 through a partnership with local provider Herotel. The agreement represents Amazon's first satellite internet deal on the African continent. Communications Minister Solly Malatsi joined Amazon and Herotel representatives for the announcement.

No financial details of the deal were disclosed. Amazon launched its first low-orbit internet satellites last year and currently operates more than 390 such satellites. The service, previously known as Project Kuiper, has already secured launch agreements in Thailand, Kazakhstan, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay.

A Lexington, Massachusetts-based company focused on mobile internet in developing countries. South Africa has a population of 62 million, while Africa exceeds 1.5 billion people, many in rural areas without fixed internet connections. Fortune reported that the announcement comes as Starlink, operated by SpaceX, has launched in around two dozen other African countries but has not entered South Africa.

Starlink, which began operations in 2019 and now has more than 10,000 satellites in orbit, operates in more than 160 countries overall. The South African government has backed the Amazon deal while Starlink has declined to follow local affirmative action regulations requiring foreign communications firms to transfer minority ownership stakes to Black or other non-white owners.