10 November 2025
Paratus Group has announced the launch of “Paratus 500,” marking a significant milestone following its recent expansion into seven additional African markets — including Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
With this development, Paratus is now licensed to operate in 15 African countries, making it one of the first pan-African telecom companies to cover over 500 million people south of the equator — accounting for more than one-third of Africa’s population and GDP.
Paratus 500 enables the Group to connect its 15 licensed operations through a contiguous telecom network that spans the continent. This advanced infrastructure incorporates diverse terrestrial fibre routes, strategic subsea cable landings, and satellite integrations, including Starlink, ensuring secure, scalable, and high-quality connectivity across sub-equatorial Africa.
The network reflects years of strategic investment in infrastructure, local subsidiaries, and partnerships. Notably, the East-West Connect route runs from the east coast of Africa in Maputo, through Johannesburg, and across Botswana and Namibia, reaching the Equiano Cable Landing Station in Swakopmund on the west coast. Paratus also operates five satellite teleports and maintains nearly 10,000 active satellite services, providing reliable coverage in all its markets.
Key routes include connections from Johannesburg to Lubumbashi in the southern Democratic Republic of Congo, passing through Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. In Botswana, the company has deployed a diverse fibre network across multiple towns to strengthen national coverage and cross-border stability. Its subsea cable systems connect to international landing points in Angola, the DRC, France, Kenya, Portugal, the UK, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Tanzania, offering direct access to global internet hubs. Paratus’s connectivity extends across the Atlantic to Brazil, the US, the Netherlands, and the UK.
The Paratus Express Route, powered by the Equiano subsea cable, provides ultra-low latency international links from Johannesburg and Namibia to Europe and North America, offering up to 20 times more capacity than earlier West Coast cables. Additionally, Paratus has integrated Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite services into its offerings to enhance coverage and ensure consistent connectivity in underserved and remote areas where terrestrial infrastructure is limited or absent.
“With Paratus 500, we now have the most coverage under license in sub-equatorial Africa, a goal we have worked toward for many years. This milestone allows us to connect people and businesses across the region with reliable, high-quality network services. Our ongoing investments in fibre, satellite, and strategic partnerships empower us to deliver scalable connectivity solutions to wholesale, enterprise, and individual customers — giving them the freedom to connect anywhere, anytime,” said Schalk Erasmus, CEO of Paratus Group.
Paratus 500 is built on a foundation of sustained investment in robust infrastructure, local operations, and regional partnerships. This diverse network supports seamless connectivity solutions utilising fibre, satellite, microwave, SD-WAN, and MPLS technologies. Through this comprehensive platform, Paratus delivers a resilient, scalable, and customer-focused connectivity ecosystem designed to foster growth and opportunity throughout Africa.
