Pan-African telecommunications and network services provider, Paratus Group, has completed its expansion programme into East Africa. This expansion forms part of the group’s ongoing efforts to connect communities and businesses across sub-equatorial Africa with reliable digital infrastructure.
Across East Africa, Paratus is providing reliable digital services to meet the needs of businesses and communities. Paratus Kenya has been operational since November 2024 as a licensed ISP (internet service provider) and authorised Starlink reseller. Rwanda and Uganda have recently launched as ISPs, with Rwanda also providing Starlink services. Tanzania joined the network in 2025, delivering ISP services to enterprise and wholesale customers nationwide. Across all four countries, Paratus supports key sectors including retail, transport and logistics, education, health and tourism, ensuring businesses and communities have access to secure and scalable connectivity.
The Paratus East-West fibre route underpins the Group’s East African expansion by creating a terrestrial backbone from Maputo in the East to Swakopmund in the West, where it interconnects with the Equiano subsea cable, ensuring low-latency, high-capacity redundancy between Africa and Europe.
While East Africa currently contributes around 18% of Africa’s total GDP, Euromonitor forecasts that figure will rise to 29% by 2040, with services, infrastructure, foreign investment and regional integration among the key drivers. The race to build reliable digital infrastructure has never been more critical.
In a region with over 200 million people and a combined GDP exceeding $200 billion, the East African region is expected to become a significant emerging market in the next decade. The growth will come from numerous industry sectors that are currently benefiting from policy reforms and foreign investment, including agriculture, mining, manufacturing, energy, ICT, healthcare and infrastructure. East Africa’s large youth population is also contributing to the growing demand for modern services and products. From Kenya’s fintech industry and Tanzania’s industrial corridor to Rwanda’s digital transformation, Paratus is poised to provide what the region requires in terms of secure, high-performance connectivity, advanced data and cloud services.
“We now hold operational licences in key East African markets,” says Martin Cox, Chief Commercial Officer at Paratus Group. “Our network and infrastructure enable enterprise and wholesale customers to access reliable, cross-border connectivity within the region and beyond, supporting their digital operations and growth.”
Through its suite of solutions, including dedicated internet access, cloud services, managed networks and cyber security, Paratus provides the digital foundation on which East Africa’s economy can grow.
“You can’t trade if you can’t connect,” Cox continues. “We’re providing the infrastructure and delivering 24/7 connectivity across borders to enable businesses to thrive in the digital age. Our role in building East Africa’s digital highways is as vital today as the traditional trade routes were centuries ago. Trade is in the DNA of the region, and the key to unlocking it now lies in the region’s digital transformation and capabilities.
“We’re not just expanding the Paratus footprint; we are also enabling East Africa to reclaim its role as a key global trade gateway by providing secure, world-class digital infrastructure that connects businesses, markets and people. The same geographic advantages that made cities like Mombasa important centuries ago are just as relevant today, except now they need to be enhanced by world-class digital infrastructure.”
The East African expansion reinforces Paratus Group’s reputation as Africa’s quality network, built for the demands of a digital-first, connected continent, and supports the group’s mission to connect as many people in sub-equatorial Africa as possible.
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Paratus
Paratus is committed to raising the bar on providing quality connectivity in Africa. With an eye on the future, the group is investing in infrastructure and establishing itself as a key player in delivering integrated network services across the continent. Among its many and diverse achievements, the group has invested in and launched the East-to-West Africa fiber route and the express route from Johannesburg to the rest of the world.
The Group has operations in 15 African countries and employs over 1,100 employees across the group. This connects African businesses across the continent and delivers end-to-end service excellence. The group’s footprint extends beyond Africa to international points of presence (PoPs) in Europe, the UK and the USA.
Born and bred in Africa, Paratus is thinking big as it grows its footprint to deliver Africa’s quality network. The Group aims to deliver real value and services to communities across Africa, while making a positive contribution to transformation in terms of both the people and the environment.