Avanti Communications announced a partnership with Clear Blue Technologies International Inc., to enable Mobile Network Operators and Telco 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. Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to become one of the largest telecom markets in the world.
Sub-Saharan Africa 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 South Asia and Latin America. As a result, telecom operators are expected to invest $52 Billion in infrastructure from 2019 2025, much of which will be in rural deployment. This 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.