Amazon To Launch Its Own Satellite Internet In South Africa

Amazon announced its satellite internet service (Amazon Leo) will launch in South Africa in 2026 through a partnership with local ISP Herotel, marking the company's first African satellite internet deal and leapfrogging Starlink, which has been blocked by Black economic empowerment licensing requirements. If you're building ISP, comms, or last-mile connectivity in Africa, Amazon just proved the market is real enough to fight regulatory battles for—and that local partnerships beat solo entry. Herotel became valuable overnight; expect every regional telco in East and West Africa to get acquisition calls.