Decentralized wireless network (DeWi) operator World Mobile said on June 8 that it has completed field trials of its DeWi technology in Kenya, Mozambique and Nigeria, bringing it closer to full deployment across the entire African continent.
World Mobile, which aims to bring affordable and reliable internet access to rural areas that are traditionally underserved, said the trials in Kenya and Mozambique were carried out using TV white space equipment, using unused spectrum in the TV transmission band to provide mobile network services. .
In Nigeria, the field test used SpaceX’s satellite internet system, Starlink. According to the company, both TV white space and Starlink are complementary technologies that allow World Mobile to use existing infrastructure and spectrum resources to extend its network coverage.
World Mobile CEO Micky Watkins said the trials “validate the viability and scalability of our DeWi technology, bringing us one step closer to bringing affordable and reliable internet access to rural and underserved areas around the world.”
This announcement follows World Mobile’s launch of its commercial network in Zanzibar in May, where it says more than 300 AirNodes provide wireless connectivity to more than 16,000 users per day.
The company plans to extend its network to more countries in Africa and beyond and seeks to create “a community-owned global wireless network that can bridge the digital divide and foster social and economic inclusion,” it said.
World Mobile says its DeWi solution provides connectivity at a lower cost than traditional mobile network operators and could help create “a sharing economy” to finance the expansion of telecoms infrastructure in rural Africa and beyond.
Unlike traditional mobile networks, World Mobile is based on blockchain and seeks to give people access to the trillion-dollar global telecommunications market.
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