12/11/2025
Low-orbit satellite (LEO) internet is available in South Africa for businesses and large enterprises through service providers, offering high-speed, low-latency connections for areas with limited terrestrial and Cellphone (Tower to Tower) services. While not yet officially available for personal use in the country, companies are piloting and deploying these services for corporate clients. Services like Starlink are not yet available for individual users due to regulatory hurdles, such as ownership requirements.
ORBitech partner service provider :
Offering OneWeb to provide LEO services, successfully used by major banks for secure, real-time transactions and other enterprise needs.
ORBitech provide LEO services, successfully to major banks for secure, real-time transactions and other enterprise needs.
Business-focused for now:
The services are currently geared towards corporate clients and are not officially available for personal use.
Cost:
While the technology is newer and faster, it can be more expensive than traditional terrestrial options like fiber, although packages are designed for reliability and uptime.
Regulatory barriers:
Services like Starlink are not yet operational in South Africa due to the country's regulations regarding Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) ownership requirements, which require local equity.