Sustainable internet access upgraded across South Africa
12 September 2023
Founded in 2013, Project Isizwe is a non-profit organisation committed to enabling sustainable free internet access in low-income communities across South Africa.
Project Isizwe’s pilot and award-winning flagship project, Tshwane Free WiFi, was designed to connect the unconnected in South Africa’s capital city. The project deployed 1,050 free public WiFi hotspots across the City of Tshwane, with 600,000 monthly users receiving 500Mb per day. If the project had been subscription funded, it would have cost under R10 per user per month with each user receiving 500Mb a day. It remains the biggest free public WiFi network in Africa and was implemented in partnership with the local municipality, hailed as the most innovative government program to bridge the digital divide.
Read the full article First TIP OpenWifi network installed in Kenya
12 September 2023
Internet service providers (ISP) ThinkWiFi and Mawingu have launched the first outdoor Telecom Infra Project (TIP) OpenWiFi network in Kenya. The collaboration is funded using an advertising-based model, the first time a TIP OpenWiFi network has been built and commercialised using a sponsorship platform.
Launched in 2021, TIP OpenWiFi is an open source-based WiFi architecture that enables multi-vendor, interoperable WiFi networks. OpenWiFi-based solutions enable the seamless mix and match of access points and controllers from any TIP OpenWiFi compliant manufacturer, allowing developers to quickly create new applications. There are more than 300 companies involved with the TIP OpenWiFi initiative from OEMs, ODMs and silicon providers to managed service providers and app developers.
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Vertiv solves MainOne’s Ivory Coast challenges with prefab solutions
07 August 2023
West Africa, home to some of the fastest-growing populations in the world, was left behind in the connectivity revolution that swept the world in the 1990s and 2000s. The region was served by just one low-capacity undersea cable connection and a severe lack of terrestrial fibre optic networks until 2010. At this time, MainOne embarked on a mission to connect West Africa to the world with a submarine cable, 10 times the capacity of anything seen previously.
The company’s journey has not been an easy one, presenting a range of technical, financial, and regulatory hurdles to overcome. Nearly half of all capital projects in West Africa experience delays of over six months.
Read the full article Globacom: building Africa’s biggest and best telco network
13 July 2023
Globacom, Nigeria’s largest integrated technology service provider, wanted to expand its network and enhance service delivery to its customers. Toward its goal of building Africa’s biggest and best telecommunications network, Globacom selected Ceragon and its cutting-edge IP-50E millimetre wave solution.
Expanding network reach
En route to becoming Africa’s biggest and best telecom network, Globacom needed to further expand its network reach, significantly increase its network capacity, and enhance customer service delivery. The solution needed to be applicable for long-haul, high-capacity metro and access network scenarios, and 5G-ready. Globacom wanted to do this while achieving rapid rollout and time to market and minimising total cost of ownership. The operator also was interested in avoiding fibre optic cable cuts, which can lead to service outages, customer loss, and high repair costs.