Paratus Zambia and Starlink satisfy tourist demand for high quality connectivity in remote areas

Nestled on the banks of the mighty Zambezi River, Baines River Camp provides an idyllic retreat for those seeking both adventure and relaxation. Renowned for its timeless elegance and unparalleled luxury, Baines River Camp allows guests to immerse themselves in the wild beauty of Africa while enjoying the comforts of meticulously designed accommodations. When guests arrive at the camp, they expect luxury on every level and that includes being able to enjoy continuous, quality, online wi-fi access.  Thankfully, Paratus Zambia, which has provided the connectivity to the camp for the past three years, has now installed a Starlink LEO (low earth orbital) satellite connection and taken this five-star tourism destination’s service delivery to new heights.  

Stephan Grobler, manager at Baines River Camp explains: “This has made a massive difference to what we offer our guests.  Paratus has always provided the best service available and now uses Starlink satellites to deliver its service, which doesn’t rely on ground-based infrastructure, making it a dependable choice for us. Also, it offers significantly higher speeds compared to traditional VSAT, reaching speeds of up to 220 Mbps. This allows our guests to stream videos, browse the internet, and download files much more quickly. Our guests now have continuous online access in their rooms; previously, it had only been available to guests in the main dining and lounge areas. With this comprehensive and excellent connection, our visitors are really delighted particularly because they have often travelled from other camps in Zambia where the service is either patchy or not available at all.  The Starlink service provided by Paratus Zambia matches our own in terms of quality and in exceeding our guests’ expectations.”

The new service at Baines River Camp also means better communication between the guides and the main camp as all staff are now linked on WhatsApp groups, making their communication instant and effective. “It’s made a huge difference to our operations”, adds Stephan, “because all critical and tourist information can now be shared immediately.  We can also contact our suppliers at any time.  The real bonus is for our guests who expect to be able to connect when they arrive.  They want to be able to access and read or answer their emails, use WhatsApp, upload and send their photographs and even stream movies and other content while they are here relaxing.  They can do all this now at Baines’ River Camp with total confidence and ease.”

Starlink provides high speed, broadband internet using a simple, scalable hardware platform that can be easily distributed across locations. Unlimited by local infrastructure and designed to support multiple paths back to the internet, Starlink provides reliable service to ensure businesses always keep operating.

Paratus Zambia launched its Starlink service in 2023.  Country Manager of Paratus Zambia, Marius van Vuuren says: “Starlink has been instrumental in bridging the digital divide and bringing high-speed internet to remote businesses like Baines River Camp, as well as those in industries such as mining, healthcare, education and logistics, to mention a few. We’ve seen a significant improvement in their online experiences, from faster streaming to smoother browsing and remote work. We’re quickly learning which services best suit different types of customers. These insights allow us to create tailored solutions that not only meet but exceed our clients’ needs. Our advantage is that we have the technical teams and stock readily available, and this means we are uniquely positioned to not only provide a rapid Starlink installation service, but also a range of add-on services and expert post-sale support. 

“We carry stock on-site here in Lusaka and the Copperbelt, allowing us to deliver and provide an installation service which is not offered directly by Starlink.  Because the installation invariably also needs to cover ‘behind the router’ services, such as connecting the local network, access points and other devices, we can bundle an extra ethernet adaptor into the packages that we offer for Starlink connectivity.  We can tailor the Starlink offering to suit our customers’ requirements.”

Starlink currently provides services to thousands of business locations and serves customers in a multitude of capacities, including replacement of LTE Connectivity and supplementing emergency services. Across its network, Starlink maintains greater than 99.5% up-time across all customers.

Stephan says that he is very grateful to the Baines River Camp owner, Craig Featherby, for realising how Starlink could change and improve their operations and their guests’ experience at the camp.  “Baines’ River Camp is committed to providing an exceptional experience that marries the untamed wilderness with luxury, including reliable internet access. We are incredibly fortunate that Craig is an early adopter and made this possible. We are also thankful to Paratus Zambia for consistently ensuring we have the best connection and now we’re so grateful that they are the Starlink Authorised Resellers in Zambia so that we may benefit from their supported service.  It’s made a world of difference to us all here.”