NuRAN Wireless and Avanti have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to market and distribute a combined 2G RAN product alongside Avanti’s Ka-band satellite backhaul solution.
Reaching rural communities presents a huge challenge for mobile operators, yet these pockets of population are in great need of mobile connectivity which gives them access to critical resources such as basic Internet, SMS and also access to financial services such as mobile banking. This connectivity is inextricably linked to socio-economic development. The World Economic Forum states that 3.9 billion people or 52% of the world’s population are currently unconnected. This is a dire statistic in an ever dependent connected world but at the same time is a huge opportunity for NuRAN Wireless and Avanti to connect those that need it most.
Reaching rural communities is highly strategic for both NuRAN and Avanti, with a clear focus on the African, Latin American and South East Asian markets. Reaching these communities often requires satellite backhaul as the only viable solution further highlighting the strategic advantage the two companies collaborating.
The partnership will officially kick off with a pilot for an incumbent East African Operator that has the scale to grow into a large deployment of sites across the region. The additional deployments are expected to start rolling out during the course of 2018 with an anticipated completion during the first half of 2019.
“NuRAN Wireless and Avanti have a shared vision of connecting the unconnected. Beginning in East Africa, we see this as the start of a very successful and long-term partnership. Avanti’s satellites provide ubiquitous coverage over countries of Sub Saharan Africa, making it the ideal solution for large-scale cellular backhaul deployments,” said Bradley Shaw, Regional Manager, Middle East and Africa, for NuRAN Wireless.
Christian Georgeson, Chief Marketing Officer, Avanti Communications, said, “Avanti’s Ka-band satellite backhaul services, combined with NuRAN Wireless’ small cell technology provides a sustainable solution to extend mobile networks to rural and remote areas across Africa. Bringing internet services into these areas bridges the digital divide, thus, enables community members to become digital citizens.”
