Overview
- Amazon Leo signed a distribution agreement with Herotel on July 15, 2026 to offer a consumer service called evry with a commercial launch planned for 2027.
- Under the deal Herotel, a Maziv subsidiary, will hold the required South African licences so Amazon will not need a direct regulator licence from ICASA.
- Financial terms were not disclosed and specific pricing and consumer packages for evry have yet to be announced.
- Herotel said it will provide installation, customer service and field operations from launch using its footprint of more than 350,000 customers in over 550 towns.
- The deal builds on Amazon Leo’s ties with Vodafone/Vodacom and Vanu to use satellite backhaul for remote cell sites and could accelerate rural 4G/5G coverage, but merger and competition rulings affecting Maziv and Vumatel may limit wholesale rules and how the service is offered while SpaceX’s Starlink has not secured a comparable licensing route in South Africa.