10 September 2021
Avanti and Clear Blue partner in Africa
UK-based satellite firm Avanti has partnered with Canadian solar energy specialist Clear Blue Technologies to roll out telecoms coverage in parts of Africa.
Under the terms of the deal, both companies will help enable mobile network operators and tower companies to deliver rural network coverage to areas across sub-Saharan Africa.
Within the next three to five years, the partnership is expected to deliver mobile network coverage to the 400 million people that currently cannot access mobile broadband services.
“We are thrilled to partner with Avanti to provide key telecom services to rural regions in sub-Saharan Africa, ultimately connecting the billions worldwide who lack telecom and internet access,” said Miriam Tuerk, chief executive officer and co-founder of Clear Blue Technologies. “With only 26% of sub-Saharan Africa already connected through mobile internet, we’re looking forward to bringing connectivity to areas where costs and lack of infrastructure make internet services prohibitive.”
The partnership will accelerate the rural rollout of low-cost connectivity solutions in areas where network coverage and broadband services have been limited or non-existent. Avanti and Clear Blue have already successfully provided these connectivity solutions in significant deployments across Africa’s largest economies.
Avanti’s rural network coverage solution supports 2G, 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi connectivity across Africa. As part of this joint rural deployment effort, Avanti will provide critical, high throughput Ka-band satellite connectivity and VSAT equipment. At the same time, Clear Blue will deploy its smart off-grid solar-powered solutions with remote management and control.
“Our core belief is that everyone deserves the socioeconomic benefits of a more connected life and this partnership with Clear Blue will bring life-enhancing coverage to rural communities in remote areas,” added Libby Barr, chief operating officer at Avanti. “Together with Clear Blue, we will be able to deploy thousands of sites across sub-Saharan Africa, connecting a population that is growing at 2.7% per year. We expect the remote telecom market to continue to take off and we are looking forward to being at the forefront of the rural network coverage expansion.”
Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to become one of the largest telecom markets in the world. The region has a young population with a projected high population growth, at a rate of 2.7% per year, more than double the rate of growth in southern Asia and Latin America. As a result, operators are expected to invest US$52bn in infrastructure from 2019 – 2025, much of which will be in rural deployment.
