JOHANNESBURG - A satellite internet service provider is coming to South Africa, but it's not Starlink.
It was announced today that Starlink's competitor, Amazon Leo, has signed a distribution agreement with a local company.
Herotel is already an internet service provider in far flung reaches of South Africa and will distribute Leo's services under a new brand called EVRY.
Starlink and its owner, Elon Musk, have complained about South Africa's licensing requirements for years.
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To hold a network license in South Africa, an operator must be 30% owned by historically disadvantaged South Africans.
Musk has slammed the requirement as racist.
Amazon Leo will not have to give the country any ownership, as Herotel already has a license.
Leo has just 390 satellites in orbit compared to Starlink's 10 000, but is gearing up for initial services in certain parts of the world.
The commercial launch in South Africa is expected next year.