Amazon Leo extends broadband reach beyond traditional infrastructure

Amazon Leo has signed an agreement with Herotel to introduce satellite broadband services in South Africa through a new offering, evry, marking the first partnership of its kind for Amazon Leo on the African continent

Expected to launch commercially in 2027, evry will combine Amazon Leo's low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network with Herotel's nationwide service infrastructure to extend high-speed internet to residential customers in areas where fibre and fixed wireless networks remain difficult or uneconomical to deploy.

The initiative targets South Africa's underserved rural communities, farms and small towns, where challenging terrain, long distances and low population density have limited the expansion of conventional broadband infrastructure.

Amazon Leo's satellites operate at an altitude of approximately 590 km, significantly closer to Earth than traditional geostationary satellites positioned more than 35,000 km away. This lower orbit enables reduced latency, supporting applications such as video conferencing, online learning, streaming and remote working. Customers will access the service using compact satellite antennas without requiring fibre or fixed wireless infrastructure at their premises.

Herotel, South Africa's largest fixed internet service provider, currently serves more than 350,000 active customers across over 550 towns through its fibre and fixed wireless networks. Its network of 120 local offices will provide installation, field support and customer service for the new satellite offering.

"Amazon Leo and Herotel share the same mission to empower all South Africans through access to high-speed internet. Herotel has spent years building connectivity across South Africa's farming towns, small businesses, and communities on the outskirts, and with Amazon Leo they can now reach even more people," said David Zapolsky, Amazon's chief global affairs and legal officer. "This collaboration is about breaking down barriers and unlocking opportunity for millions of people who don't yet have reliable access for work, education, or the services they depend on."

"We have always believed that South Africans outside the major metros deserve reliable, affordable internet," said Van Zyl Botha, CEO of Herotel. "With evry, powered by Amazon Leo, we will reach the customers that even fiber and fixed wireless cannot serve. It no longer matters where you live."

The announcement builds on Amazon's expanding connectivity initiatives across Africa. In addition to the Herotel partnership, Amazon Leo is working with Vanu to extend cellular connectivity to rural communities, beginning in South Africa. These efforts aim to improve digital inclusion across southern Africa, where nearly a quarter of the population remains outside mobile network coverage. According to Access Partnership, wider adoption of non-geostationary satellite systems could generate up to US$16.9bn in annual economic benefits for the region.

Amazon Leo has deployed more than 390 satellites and expects to begin providing initial services across selected regions this year before progressively expanding coverage and network capacity.