Paratus Group has expanded into Lesotho, introducing Starlink-powered enterprise internet services as the pan-African telecommunications provider pushes deeper into underserved African markets and seeks to capture growing demand for reliable business connectivity.

Through its new operation, Paratus Lesotho will offer high-speed satellite internet, local technical support and the group’s existing network solutions to businesses and organisations across the kingdom. The launch adds another market to Paratus’ African footprint as companies increasingly depend on reliable digital infrastructure.

Starlink targets remote businesses

Paratus Lesotho is a joint venture between Paratus Group and Real Image Lesotho, with Makali Lepholisa appointed as managing director. Her appointment brings more than 20 years of executive experience spanning customs modernisation, trade facilitation, business strategy and stakeholder engagement.

Lepholisa holds a master’s degree in customs administration from Charles Sturt University in Australia, an MBA from Business School Netherlands and a bachelor’s degree in commerce, specialising in accounting. She has worked with governments, regional institutions, development partners and private-sector organisations on economic development and digital transformation initiatives.

Her previous work includes supporting trade facilitation and National Single Window programmes across several African countries, as well as regional initiatives involving the Southern African Development Community, World Bank and United Nations Development Programme.

Lepholisa said the company would draw on Paratus Group’s experience in other African markets to expand access to telecommunications services and support Lesotho’s economic development through technology.

Mountainous terrain creates opportunity

Lesotho’s mountainous geography has made telecommunications infrastructure particularly difficult to extend beyond major population centres. Businesses operating in remote communities often face limited broadband options, restricting access to digital services, commercial opportunities and reliable communication networks.

As an authorised Starlink reseller, Paratus Lesotho will use low-Earth orbit satellite technology to deliver high-speed, low-latency internet in locations where fibre and conventional terrestrial networks are unavailable or inadequate. Customers will also have access to the wider group’s technical capabilities and established network infrastructure.

Starlink, the satellite internet business operated by SpaceX, uses a constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites to provide broadband services in areas that are difficult to reach through traditional telecommunications infrastructure.

Paratus deepens African expansion

Founded in 2003, Paratus Group operates telecommunications infrastructure and services across 16 African countries, including Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo with a population of 500 million. Its satellite services extend to more than 35 markets, giving the company reach beyond its terrestrial network footprint.

The group connects African markets to international networks through points of presence in Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States. Its infrastructure portfolio includes fibre-optic networks, Tier III data centres and geostationary and low-Earth orbit satellite services.

The Lesotho launch follows the group’s expansion into Uganda through a joint venture with Kampala-based Roke Telkom, which established Paratus Uganda. The company has also strengthened regional connectivity through a cross-border fibre-optic network linking Mombasa, Kenya, with Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

By adding Lesotho to its operating footprint, Paratus is seeking to capture demand from businesses that need connectivity beyond major urban centres. The combination of Starlink enterprise services, local support and its wider African network gives the group another entry point into the region’s expanding digital infrastructure market.