BrainSAT Satellite Services launched in South Africa on 1 July 2026. Four months later, it has revealed no big rollouts or announcements, MyBroadband reported.
Neither BrainSAT nor the Presidency had given feedback on the launch when MyBroadband published its report. The publication said the email address on the BrainSAT website bounced. Space42, the company’s UAE partner, also had not responded.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile had called the launch “an important milestone in our nation’s pursuit of secure, resilient and reliable satellite connectivity.”
Mashatile said BrainSAT was a strategic partner of Space42, a UAE-based satellite operator. Space42 offers satellite mobile devices through its subsidiary Thuraya.
He said Space42 and BrainSAT Technologies signed a memorandum of understanding in April 2024. This happened during a state visit to Dubai. He said the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies signed it for the South African government.
Mashatile said the memorandum was a commitment to bring “world-class satellite and digital communications solutions to South Africa.” He also said the launch brought always-on Internet to homes, businesses, public services and remote enterprise sites.
MyBroadband described BrainSAT as essentially a reseller of connectivity on Space42’s satellites. It said Space42’s products were already sold locally before the launch. Internet providers such as Vox and MorClick sold them.
Vox sells 10Mbps YahClick packages for R2,033 per month on a multi-year contract, according to MyBroadband. These packages have a 150GB soft cap under a fair use policy. Their latency is around 720ms.
In a fact sheet, Vox said the network “might not be suitable for use of latency-sensitive services, which may time out.” MyBroadband said this rules out online gaming, WhatsApp or Zoom video calls, and VPN use.
Space42 has six satellites in orbit, MyBroadband reported. Four of these geostationary satellites are over a decade old.
BrainSAT is offering four broadband bundles from 10GB to 100GB, the publication said. It does not show prices. AfriForum previously demanded clarity on the launch. It said BrainSAT offered 1Mbps satellite Internet, while Starlink supports speeds over 200Mbps.
Starlink is not officially available in South Africa and has not been licensed here. MyBroadband said it offers latency between 25ms and 50ms, with an average download speed of 241Mbps. Its packages start from under R500 per month in Botswana and Lesotho, and dish kits start at R3,000.
Herotel announced on 15 July that it would distribute Amazon Leo satellite Internet in South Africa from 2027. Herotel CEO Van Zyl Botha said the company will sell it under a new product line called Evry.
MyBroadband reported that BrainSAT won an $800,000 tender from Mauritania in the same month it launched in South Africa. The tender covers personal mobile satellite communications services.
Source: this article is based on reporting by MyBroadband. Image: MyBroadband. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Business desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Anelisa Nkuna covers business and money news for Tzaneen Voice. Anelisa reports on the rand, fuel prices, interest rates, jobs, Eskom, Transnet, farming and company results. The aim is simple: explain what the numbers mean for household budgets, small businesses and workers in South Africa.