Q-KON Taps China’s Tianqi LEO Constellation and StarWin for IoT in South Africa

Q-KON has signed a strategic agreement with Guodian Gaoke and StarWin to bring Tianqi LEO satellite–based IoT services to South Africa, marking the constellation’s first commercial deployment in Africa.

Q-KON will become the authorised service provider, leveraging its local market reach and Twoobii platform. Guodian Gaoke, which supplies the Tianqi LEO constellation, optimised for low-power machine-type communications, and StarWin delivers certified ground terminals, compliant with South African regulations.

The deal aligns with South Africa’s national digital transformation strategy and reflects a growing model of international satellite–IoT co-development, blending global space technology with local market enablement.

The Tianqi network plans to support a wide range of satellite IoT applications, including:

• Agriculture: precision monitoring, automation and yield optimisation

• Energy & Water Utilities: predictive management and operational control

• Manufacturing & Automotive: production efficiency and quality monitoring

• Marine, Logistics & Transport: real-time tracking and safety alerts

• Tourism & Emergency Response: positioning, monitoring and rapid communications

Guodian Gaoke described Tianqi’s first African deployment as a template for future international partnerships in LEO IoT.