African-based satellite communication provider, Q-KON, has entered a tripartite strategic alliance agreement with Beijing Guodian High-Tech Technology (Guodian Gaoke), and China StarWin Science & Technology Co. (StarWin), to offer Internet of Things (IoT) services supported by the Tianqi Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Constellation in South Africa.
Under the collaboration, Q-KON will be the authorised service provider for the Tianqi Constellation’s satellite-based IoT services in South Africa, leveraging its market expertise and distribution network to drive commercial operations next year. Meanwhile, Guodian Gaoke will provide the Tianqi LEO satellite constellation and related systems, enabling seamless integration with local businesses. StarWin, in turn, will supply and integrate certified ground terminals, ensuring compliance with South Africa’s technical and regulatory standards to support end-user needs.
The significance of this trilateral collaboration: The alliance formed by Q-KON, Guodian Gaoke, and StarWin creates synergy in the aerospace high-tech sector. It deeply integrates Chinese advanced constellation systems and terminal technologies with local market insights and service networks in Africa, precisely aligning with South Africa's national digital strategy to empower ground-level industrial upgrades through space-based infrastructure.
This initiative will inject robust digital momentum into South Africa's key economic sectors and, through its successful "technology-market-localisation" cooperation model, set a high-standard benchmark for international collaboration in the global satellite IoT field.
Group CEO for Q-KON, Dr Dawie de Wet said, “This strategic alliance is a significant milestone in our quest to service the African market through the application of leading satellite technologies by expanding the Twoobii portfolio to include an IoT service. Q-KON has always been committed to providing robust and relevant connectivity solutions, and our partnership with Guodian Gaoke and StarWin allows us to expand this commitment into the industrial IoT area.
"The Tianqi LEO Constellation provides trusted industrial data connectivity services for the mining, transport, industrial and agriculture industries. By combining Guodian Gaoke's LEO global constellation, StarWin's compliant terminal technology, and Q-KON’s deep market expertise, we can provide the critical infrastructure needed to drive productivity and ensure South Africa’s key industries remain globally competitive.”
Guo Dian Gao Ke VP Mr. Zheng Said : “Beijing Guodian Gaoke Technology Co., Ltd., Chengdu Xunyi Satellite Communications Co., Ltd., and Q-KON have reached a tripartite cooperation agreement, marking the first project of the Tianqi Constellation in Africa. As a globally networked low-orbit IoT satellite system independently developed and constructed by Beijing Guodian Gaoke, the Tianqi Constellation provides low-power consumption and high-reliability communication services.
"This cooperation will integrate the advantages of the three parties to promote the digital application of satellite IoT technology in South Africa's key sectors, including forestry monitoring, power management, logistics and vessel monitoring, and disaster prevention. It will deliver convenient and efficient satellite communication service support to government and enterprise users in South Africa. We look forward to taking this cooperation as an opportunity to inject practical momentum into the development of South Africa's digital industry and lay a solid foundation for future collaboration.”
Amelia, COO & Co-Founder of StarWin, highlights that addressing the digital divide and inequality — key challenges impacting South Africa's economic growth — has become a national priority. During its G20 Digital Economy Working Group presidency, the South African government positioned digital transformation as a core national strategy with clearly defined development goals. Within this framework, IoT is recognised as a pivotal technology for transforming traditional industries and has been deeply integrated into key sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing.
To support this transition, the strategic alliance formed by Q-KON, Guodian Gaoke, and StarWin will deliver comprehensive and innovative IoT-LEO services. StarWin provides high-performance, low-power, and cost-effective terminal solutions designed to empower multiple sectors across South Africa:
• Agriculture: enhancing productivity through smart monitoring and automation
• Power and water conservancy: strengthening intelligence, precision & safety of operations towards greater visibility, controllability, predictability, and optimization
• Automotive industry: improving operational efficiency and ensuring product quality
• Marine sector: enabling better government management and increasing yield
• Emergency: transmitting quick positioning and alarm signals for fast rescue
• Logistics & transportation: achieving full supply-chain tracking and higher transportation efficiency
• Energy sector: empower efficient management & output with high productivity
• Tourism: offering accurate positioning and emergency alerts to safeguard lives and property
By enabling precision management and automation, the IoT solution drives direct gains in productivity and product quality, strengthens the global competitiveness of South African goods, and fosters economic complexity and innovation, boosting the ability to produce and export diversified, high-value products. This contributes to structural economic upgrading while generating new employment opportunities and skill demands.
