Pan-African telecommunications and network services provider, Paratus Group furthers its sub-equatorial expansion with the launch of Paratus Eswatini through a joint venture with Mbabane based IT and ISP company, Real Image. The new company has been created to provide and install Starlink services initially. In 2023, Paratus was announced as a reseller across Africa of Starlink global LEO (low earth orbit) satellite services.

The MD of Paratus Eswatini and founder in 1996 of Real Image, Ali Resting says that Starlink while services have been available in Eswatini for a few months there have been some installation and supply issues on the ground. “The good news is that Paratus Eswatini has stock available and, critically, a full technical team ready to meet demand. We are also engaging with some of the local installers to provide them with the training and accreditation they need. We have already conducted several site surveys and now that the Starlink license has been signed off by the regulator (ESCCOM) we will roll out the Starlink service across the country.”

The market is ripe for a professionally installed Starlink service to be introduced as it is the most affordable connectivity option available. Resting adds: “While the understanding is that Starlink is ideal for remote and underserved parts of the country, because of the high cost of connectivity anywhere in Eswatini, we are poised to serve customers in towns and cities as well as in the rural areas – indeed, we are receiving dozens of enquiries every day about the Starlink service.”

Chief Commercial officer of Paratus Group, Martin Cox says the JV in Eswatini is a significant milestone. “Not only are we expanding into a key southern African territory, but we are also, critically, making our contiguous network service offering across the whole region even stronger. We have an unequalled offering whereby we can tailor network services packages for any enterprise requiring a fast, robust and reliable connection in Africa and to the rest of the world. Paratus Group is delighted to be opening in Eswatini and especially because we will be connecting more and more people across the continent of Africa.”

Starlink provides high speed, broadband internet using a simple, scalable hardware platform that can be easily distributed across locations around the world. Unbounded by local infrastructure and designed to support multiple paths back to the internet, Starlink provides reliable service to ensure businesses may always keep operating. Across its network, Starlink maintains greater than 99.5% up-time across all customers – and higher for unobstructed installations. Up-time is measured without mitigating factors, such as weather and wire-cut outages.

Starlink currently provides services to thousands of business locations and serves customers in a multitude of capacities, including primary enterprise connectivity, replacement of 4G and VSAT, backup, interim setup, and emergency services.

Paratus Group CEO, Schalk Erasmus says the launch in Eswatini is very exciting. “This JV further cements our expansion plans. By forming a new company in Eswatini, with a professionally run operation and 24/7 local technical and sales support, we are again asserting our commitment to provide excellent service and infrastructure. This is another big step on our journey to unlock potential and, most importantly, to connect more people to the internet and to a world of possibilities.”