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MTN is already in partnership with Starlink to trial offering low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite connectivity in Rwanda and Nigeria but in South Africa, it is in discussions with Eutelsat OneWeb to pilot the technology.
The telecommunications giant set out its plans to offer LEO satellite connectivity in Africa in a statement by group chief technology and information officer Mazen Mroué last week.
Mroué said MTN was exploring the skies for connectivity solutions to provide services to rural areas where it had historically been difficult to deploy terrestrial infrastructure economically due to technical challenges and sparse population distribution.
"We are partnering for LEO satellite connectivity to connect the unconnected, extend mobile connectivity to more rural and remote areas and improve resilience," the statement read.
Providing connectivity using LEO satellites is a potential game changer for rural areas, because satellite fleets, which are orbiting the globe, are able to provide connectivity over wide areas.
The speed and stability of these services has been improving rapidly in recent years.
MTN is now the latest company looking to capitalise on the potential of LEO satellite connectivity.
Earlier this year, Vodacom and Vodafone announced they would be working with Project Kuiper, Amazon's LEO satellite connectivity provider, to improve their networks.
READ MORE | Vodafone teams up with Amazon's Project Kuiper to extend 5G reach
