Maziv subsidiary Internet service provider Herotel has entered into a distribution agreement with Amazon Leo set to bring satellite connectivity to South Africa next year.

Herotel's new service, evry, will bring fast, reliable, nationwide satellite-based Internet, powered by Amazon Leo – Amazon's low Earth orbit satellite network – to residential customers across South Africa, with commercial launch expected in 2027.

As an authorised distributor of Amazon Leo for residential customers in South Africa, Herotel will use its new service to connect households and small businesses where traditional infrastructure has been impractical or unavailable.

This will benefit, in particular, communities where distance, terrain, cost or low population density have made conventional Internet rollout difficult, leaving many households reliant on mobile data or legacy GEO satellite services, or without reliable connectivity.

"evry represents the next chapter in what Herotel has been building for more than a decade," said Herotel CEO Van Zyl Botha.

"We have always believed that South Africans outside the major metropolitans — whether on farms, in small towns, in townships, or in rural communities — deserve reliable, affordable Internet. With evry, powered by Amazon Leo, we will reach the customers that even fibre and fixed wireless cannot serve."

"evry will give farms, game reserves, rural homes and underserved communities a practical way to get online, with Herotel teams available to support them on the ground," added Herotel chief commercial officer Estiaan Ferreira.

Amazon Leo unlocks a wider reach for Herotel, said Amazon chief global affairs and legal officer David Zapolsky.

"This collaboration is about breaking down barriers and unlocking opportunity for millions of people who do not yet have reliable access for work, education or the services they depend on.”

evry will be supported by Herotel's existing national operating base, including local installation, customer service, field operations and support teams across 120 offices nationwide.

Herotel currently serves more than 350 000 active customers across more than 550 towns, cities and suburbs through fibre and fixed wireless networks.