Kathea — voice and video conferencing distributor in South Africa
Kathea Communication Solutions was founded in 1998 and distributes voice, audio visual, video conferencing and workspace management hardware into the South African and wider African channel. It carries Logitech, Poly, Yealink, Yamaha, Aten, Lenovo, HP, Telematrix, Pexip, Microsoft Teams Rooms and Condeco, sells through a reseller community it puts at around 800 partners, and runs from Bryanston in Sandton with a second office in Cape Town.
Key facts
| Who they are | Kathea Communication Solutions (Pty) Ltd, a value-added distributor of voice, audio visual, video conferencing and workspace management products, solutions and services, founded in 1998 |
| What they distribute | Desk and conference phones, headsets, video conferencing endpoints, room systems and AV equipment from Logitech, Poly, Yealink, Yamaha, Aten, Lenovo, HP, Telematrix, Pexip, Microsoft Teams Rooms and Condeco software |
| Route to market | Through the channel, not direct. The company describes a partner community of around 800 resellers and roughly 55 employees, so an end-user buys Kathea-distributed hardware from an integrator or telecoms provider |
| Head office | Ground Floor Block C, Knightsbridge Office Park, 33 Sloane Street, Bryanston, Sandton, 2191 |
| Coverage | South Africa and the wider African market, served from offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town |
| ICASA licence | Not applicable in the ECS sense. A distributor does not need a service licence; what matters for hardware is ICASA type approval per model, which the manufacturer holds. Ask your reseller for the type-approval detail on the specific model |
| Pricing | Quote-based through the channel. Kathea does not publish end-user prices, so the number you pay comes from the reseller or integrator quoting the room or the deployment |
| Listed In | Distributors & Manufacturers |
You will meet Kathea through your installer
A value-added distributor sits one step back from the buyer, and that shapes how you deal with Kathea. The handsets, headsets and meeting-room systems it brings in are sold through resellers, so the quote arrives from your integrator or telecoms provider and Kathea’s name may never appear on it. What the distributor layer adds is stock, product certification and technical backup for the reseller, which is why a room system specified through a distributor-backed partner usually gets commissioned properly rather than dropped on a desk. The catalogue is the useful signal for a voice buyer: Poly and Yealink handsets and Logitech room kits are the hardware most South African cloud phone systems are actually deployed on, and Microsoft Teams Rooms and Pexip point at meeting-room video rather than desk telephony alone. Founded in 1998, Kathea has been in this channel longer than most of the platforms it now equips.
Who Kathea is a fit for
- Companies specifying meeting-room video alongside a phone system
- Resellers and integrators needing certified stock and technical backup
- Buyers standardising on Poly, Yealink or Logitech hardware
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Kathea hardware is sold and supported in South Africa through providers like these. Compare the top-rated business phone systems, ranked by WhichVoIP score.
Compare phone systems →Commonly asked questions
Can I buy from Kathea directly?
No. Kathea is a value-added distributor selling through a reseller community it puts at around 800 partners, so an end user buys the hardware from an integrator or telecoms provider rather than from Kathea.
When was Kathea founded?
In 1998. The company runs from Knightsbridge Office Park in Bryanston, Sandton, with a second office in Cape Town, and employs roughly 55 people.
Which brands does Kathea distribute?
Logitech, Poly, Yealink, Yamaha, Aten, Lenovo, HP, Telematrix, Pexip, Microsoft Teams Rooms and Condeco. The range covers desk phones, headsets, conferencing endpoints and workspace management.
Does Kathea need an ICASA licence?
Not in the service sense. ECS and ECNS licences apply to companies providing communications services. For hardware, the relevant approval is ICASA type approval per model, held by the manufacturer, so ask your reseller for it on the specific handset or endpoint.
Will these handsets work with my phone system?
Poly and Yealink handsets are the models most South African cloud phone systems are deployed on, but certification varies by platform and firmware. Confirm the exact model against your provider’s supported list before ordering.
What does Kathea hardware cost?
Kathea does not publish end-user prices. The cost reaches you through the reseller quoting the deployment, which is why comparing two integrator quotes on the same specification is worth doing.
This listing is maintained by WhichVoIP, an independent South African telecoms comparison service running since 2019. Details are verified against the provider’s public website and were last reviewed on 29 July 2026.