Paratus Deploys Starlink at 18 Lusaka Schools Serving 10,000 Children

Paratus Zambia has installed Starlink satellite internet at 18 schools in Lusaka, serving more than 10,000 children. The deployment, completed in approximately two weeks, replaces internet connections that had experienced frequent outages.

The company announced the completed installation on October 15, saying the work took approximately two weeks. The new connections replace services that suffered frequent interruptions.

The schools belong to Family Legacy, a US-based Christian organisation that supports children in Zambia. With more consistent connectivity, teachers and learners can access online research materials and educational resources, including those used in information and communication technology (ICT) lessons.

Stable Connections Remain Out of Reach for Many Schools

Figures from Zambia’s Ministry of Education show the scale of the problem. In its 2025 statistical report, the ministry recorded 8,239 schools using the internet for administrative tasks. The number fell to 5,487 when looking at schools using online resources for teaching and learning, while just 3,276 reported having a stable connection.

The gap matters because schools need more than a connection for office work. Teachers also need dependable access during lessons, and students need to be able to retrieve online material without repeated interruptions.

Paratus’s deployment addresses this issue at the 18 participating schools, although the wider figures indicate that many other institutions still face connectivity constraints.

More Connections, but Uneven Access

Zambia’s internet market continued to grow in 2025. The Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) reported a 10.1% rise in subscriptions, taking the national total to 14.7 million.

That growth provides context for the country’s expanding telecommunications sector, but subscription figures alone do not show whether schools have connections that are stable enough for classroom use.

Several initiatives are targeting the education sector directly. A programme involving UNICEF, the Ministry of Education and Airtel has connected 300 schools across Zambia’s ten provinces since 2024. It has also provided digital education and blended-learning training to 4,930 teachers.

A separate initiative announced in September 2026 plans to bring Starlink connectivity to 70 public schools over three years. It also includes solar power systems for schools that are not connected to the national electricity grid.