Swazi Observer

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PARATUS EXPANDS TO ESWATINI

By Nomfanelo Maziya | 2024-11-09

Pan-African telecommunications and network services provider, Paratus Group, has Eswatini through a joint venture with local IT and ISP company, Real Image.

The newly formed partnership aims to provide and install Starlink satellite internet services, leveraging Paratus’s position as a Starlink reseller across Africa.

In 2023, Paratus was announced as a reseller across Africa of Starlink global LEO (low earth orbit) satellite services. In a press statement, Paratus Eswatini MD and Real Image founder Ali Resting, said while Starlink services had been available in Eswatini for a few months, there had 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,” he said.

The market is ripe for a professionally installed Starlink service to be introduced as it is the most affordable connectivity option available.

Resting added.
“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.”

Paratus Group Chief Commercial officer, Martin Cox said the JV in Eswatini was 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.

Offering
“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,” he aid.

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 per cent 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 said the launch in Eswatini was 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.”

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