Find out what we can do.

It is not just WTL that thinks this: affordable access to the internet is a key objective of the UN SDGs (Strategic Development Goals – 9c), so it has great prominence in policy and investment decisions. According to the latest annual report from A4IA, the Affordable Internet Foundation, some good progress has been made. By 2019, it is expected that 50% global penetration of internet access will be reached.

However, this figure was actually expected to have been surpassed in 2017, so it’s now two years late. Worse, the rate of growth has slowed down dramatically. What’s gone wrong? Well, it seems that a key obstacle is affordability. A4IA has a clear affordability target in mind. It believes that “1 for 2” is key – that is, the ability to purchase 1 Gb of data for no more than 2% of the average monthly income. Figure 1, taken from the report, shows how far we are from this target.

This means that a huge gap remains – not only in countries, but also between genders. What’s abundantly clear from the ongoing research is that market forces alone cannot resolve the problem. As we at WTL have been saying for some time and also according to A4IA, good policy is the key tool for reducing connectivity costs and “enabling more opportunities for affordable access”. Instruments that have been shown to be effective include USAFs (Universal Service and Access Funds) and intelligent spectrum policies, but these cannot work without ensuring an effective flow of investment, to the right areas. Investing in areas with higher income existing or potential customers doesn’t close the gap – it just gives more to those that already have access.

So, not only are the right policy tools required, they must be pursued in the right places. What can be done about this? WTL suggests there are three problems to address. First, the cost of infrastructure needs to be reduced. Second, infrastructure needs to be used to extend existing footprints to go beyond the areas in which higher-income customers are concentrated. Third, entirely new areas that are beyond the reach of existing networks need to be targeted, as a matter of urgency.

The first problem can be solved by the use of solutions such as Vivada, which dramatically lowers the cost of providing coverage in general. Second, “spur” or branch networks need to be built that expand existing coverage slots, using lower-cost solutions. In other words, hotspots that gradually fill in gaps around existing deployments to allow simple but effective expansion. We can call these areas brownfield coverage areas, because they may neighbour or be close to existing assets.

As for the third, this is perhaps the greatest challenge of all. Of course, affordable solutions are needed, which can be deployed as standalone networks in isolated regions (with mostly lower-income customers). In this case, we would also add that combining communications services with others that are enabled by connectivity, such as mobile payments, agricultural information services, and IoT monitoring capabilities, can help boost the business case for such deplyments. But, we also need instruments such as spectrum and infrastructure sharing to enable equal access to such deployments. Interestingly, A4IA’s research has shown that countries which support infrastructure sharing generally perform better in affordability indices.

There’s much more, and we’ll bring you further analysis in future bulletins, but the situation is clear. Progress has been made, but not enough and the rate of progress is slowing. Market forces have been unable to address the situation in isolation. Things need to change and, to achieve this, positive action is required. The figures are startling and should raise alarm bells. Africa, in particular, is suffering due to the lack of affordable access.

That’s why WTL has been both investing in affordable technology solutions and why we have been passionately advocating instruments such as spectrum sharing. We have the technical solutions – and expertise to deliver them, whether as branches to existing infrastructure or to entirely new locations – but we need to work together to shape the market and to ensure effective implementation of policy.

If you are involved in projects to deliver affordable internet access, why not get in touch to see how we can help – or meet us at MWC to discuss your plans?

The internet of things is a wonderful term but it’s also somewhat opaque. What does it really mean? Who benefits? Why? We often talk and write about the potential for IoT applications, but simply referring to IoT in general is becoming increasingly unhelpful. Instead, the industry is converging around very specific IoT offers, applications and use cases.

At AfricaCom, we saw many of these ideas crystallising into deployable solutions from which people can benefit. Vendors are introducing water management, agricultural innovations, field monitoring solutions and more. They are proliferating and are no longer simply interesting proof-of-concept ideas, but rather practical, working solutions that can be deployed today.

This is wonderful, because it serves to emphasise the point that, once data connectivity is enabled, it can support a multitude of use cases that deliver clear and identifiable benefits. It’s also essential, as it will, through time, help to reduce costs.

Connectivity is multi-purpose and supports all kinds of business models. Future coverage planning must reflect this. While it’s useful to talk about connecting people and communities, it’s clear that we must also embrace the concept of connecting devices and services when we are thinking about the benefits of deploying in remote and rural areas.

Indeed, this has been a key driver for Vivada and why we are so eager to build an ecosystem of IoT application and service providers that can deliver solutions across the infrastructure that we deploy. The more the better, in our opinion. So, if you have an interesting data-driven solution, why not get in touch and join our community?

Another promising sign of the benefits of connectivity is dramatic growth in the African content and application creation industry. More and more content is being produced locally, across the whole continent. This could not have happened without the provision of efficient communications networks, so it’s yet another example of the positive impact of enabling more coverage.

Today, it’s simplistic to think just in terms of basic telephony services. Connectivity, particularly higher-speed mobile broadband, brings a host of benefits that are not immediately obvious if investment is considered on a simple model of subscriptions and ARPU. Instead, connectivity is itself an enabler that unlocks innovation by providing the means to link production, delivery and consumption. And, it’s also important to note that innovation is not just confined to smartphones – there is also a growing community of developers that provides applications for feature phones, helping to reach even more users.

As such, the investment returns need to be considered against the needs of the economy as a whole, not as a business case for a specific operator. We’ve written this time and time again: the key to unlocking connectivity – and to capitalise on latent innovation opportunities – is to consider the ecosystem and stakeholders as a whole. It’s not just minutes and data, but the knock-on effects of enabling access that matter.

It’s exciting to see so much innovation but it’s only to be expected. Build networks and the latent potential can be realised. Put in a pipe and data will flow. We look forward to seeing innovation spread, as more and more people are brought within reach of coverage – which will benefit the economy and create a thriving market for content and applications.

If you haven’t yet had the chance, please take part in our Rural Connectivity Survey, we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Satellite has always been important for enabling remote connectivity for communications applications, but some have questioned its ongoing relevance . At AfricaCom, we saw just how vital it will continue to be in the emerging patchwork of connectivity that’s needed to support coverage expansion.

Although satellite is often associated with high-value applications, it’s becoming increasingly democratic. Innovations, such as WTL’s patented Network Optimisation Protocol (NOP) have allowed more traffic to be carried across limited bandwidth connections, but the growing number of satellites and the ever-improving transmission rates that can be achieved, are all starting to have an impact too. Satellite has now become a key and viable choice for providing backhaul for remote sites.

In fact, it can be a crucial first step. With increased consumption at a remote site, alternative transport methods may become attractive, but satellite is often needed at the outset to, in effect, seed a deployment and to enable it to begin operations.

As such, we expect the use of satellite connectivity to grow significantly in the next few years, particularly as more Low Earth Orbit (LEO) systems come onstream. All of which provides more options for remote connectivity – and, it also means that nowhere is too remote.

Satellite connectivity has a bright future and we continue to ensure that our systems are compatible with any backhaul option, allowing Vivada to be deployed in the most remote locations. That’s why there are already a number of satellite partners in the growing Vivada ecosystem. If there are people and if there is demand, then connectivity can be delivered, even in the parts that conventional networks cannot reach.

Although the issue of rural coverage and connectivity has attracted considerable attention, it has always been overshadowed by other industry concerns, such as LTE deployments and data services. Not anymore. At AfricaCom in November, it was striking to note how the topic has become mainstream.

Evidence for this came from the sheer number of presentations dedicated to the topic, both on the main stage and in fringe meetings. After having been neglected for too long, it’s exciting to see the industry turning its attention to this crucial issue.

We’ve experienced this gathering momentum first-hand, with an unprecedented number of enquiries about Vivada and how it can help accelerate rural deployment while reducing costs and providing the foundation for new services.

By now, it’s well-understood that it’s a huge challenge, but the focus is improving our knowledge. We can now see that coverage doesn’t only serve one purpose (delivering telephony services) but also spans a wide range of use cases. Data, of course, brings new social benefits, as well as access to information. It also enables remote IoT applications, and new infrastructure that is enabled to run autonomously and in a self-contained, off-grid environment, can also be used as a source of community power, using surplus energy to fuel other demands.

The list goes on – the more we look at the problem, the more potential is exposed. This is important and, what’s clear from AfricaCom is that these interests are beginning to align. It’s not just about the phone operator, it’s not just about the electricity generator, or the remote monitoring solution. All of this is relevant and must be considered in combination. A holistic view is not just helpful, it’s of fundamental importance to closing the coverage gap – such a view, based on a growing number of use cases, increases the financial viability of connectivity projects.

Will this interest translate into action? That’s the big question, of course. Our view is that the increased awareness of the problem will translate into new activities. The spotlight is now firmly on the coverage gap – under this intense beam, there’s nowhere to hide. Watch this space!

The Vivada system from WTL has been deployed across Africa winning multiple awards in the process, including ‘Best Connectivity Solution for Africa’ at the 2016 AfricaCom awards.

As well as providing voice and data in rural and semi-urban areas, Vivada also generates solar power that can be connected to a mini-grid to provide power to homes and businesses living off-grid or in areas with unreliable grid supplies.

The provision of metered water using eWATERpay’s award-winning business model has now been incorporated into Vivada following demand from a number of organisations active in rural Africa.

eWATERpay will extend the water supply to villages and install taps. Its technology allows people to pre-pay for water using cash or mobile money, made possible by WTL’s Vivada wifi and GSM network. Water credit can also be purchased and shared by government (to schools and health clinics) or urban diaspora (to family).

eWATERpay also provides water authorities with a digital dashboard that captures and processes real-time data on litres of water sold, revenue collected, number of users at each water point, and any detected leaks or malfunctions in the water system.

Alex Burton eWaterpay’s CEO said: This is a very exciting relationship with WTL but most importantly it offers transformation to rural communities by providing a one stop utility service that is sustainable and robust. We are very much looking forward to seeing Vivada being deployed in more rural communities across Africa.

Leigh Smith, MD of WTL, said Our Vivada system was originally developed to provide voice and data. However, in many areas we are the only infrastructure company and so people continually ask us to provide other services. We are delighted to now be able to add the supply of water to our portfolio as we know from first hand experience that demand is extremely high.

WTL continues to champion the National Roaming model across Africa to increase coverage, improve service levels and encourage competition.

National Roaming has two components:

• Building new shared networks in rural areas where there is little or no coverage at the moment. These would be built by a neutral service provider and used by existing operators. Allocating USF money to the CAPEX cost of such networks would reduce the risk.
• Enabling people to use the network of other service providers where their own service provider does not have a network or has limited network coverage. In effect, operators share their infrastructure thus eliminating the need to lay duplicate infrastructures in areas where this is not commercially feasible.

With infrastructure sharing now being considered across the continent, WTL firmly believes that the removal of the CAPEX cost of building a rural network will encourage previously reluctant operators to start offering services in these areas.

WTL is already working with MNOs and wholesale operators across Africa to build rural networks, with power and water provided as appropriate.

About eWATERpay

eWATERpay won the 2018 Global Mobile Award for ‘Outstanding Mobile Contribution to the UN SDGs’ at the GSMA Mobile World Congress and was highly commended at the Financial Times/International Finance Corporation Transformational Business of the Year awards.

About WTL’s Vivada Rural Infrastructure Ecosystem

Over the past three years, Vivada has been improved and enhanced in a multitude of ways, most notably by being adapted so that wholesale carriers can build low CAPEX, low-CAPEX networks in rural areas for use by multiple operators.

Vivada networks support all types of pre and post-paid customers with varying telecoms budgets including GSM for every type of handset; wifi connectivity for smartphones, tablets, laptops and PCs – and connectivity to cybercafes and hotspot call cabins.

Vivada includes a micro GSM and/or LTE base station, wifi routers, backhaul optimisation, billing and provisioning software, VoIP compression switches and SMS servers. The entire system runs on less than 200W which can be supplied by solar with battery back-up.

Vivada provides both electricity and water to rural communities.

About WTL

Headquartered in Belgium with offices in Nigeria, Brazil and the UK, WTL helps operators in emerging markets to deploy cost-effective, reliable voice and data networks for both rural and urban environments.

WTL has deployments in more than 30 countries in Africa with a well-deserved reputation for excellent service, reliable products and an expert team with extensive experience in Africa.

WTL’s innovative, practical and cost-effective portfolio includes its:

• Award-winning range of high capacity VoIP and hybrid VoIP/TDM switches which have been specifically designed to replace the huge, expensive, maintenance-heavy switches that have traditionally been used to transfer VoIP traffic onto other networks.
• Vivada Rural Infrastructure Ecosystem.
• Signalling gateways and pre-paid applications for emerging carriers and telecom service operators.

For more information visit www.wtl.be or contact WTL’s PR rep on +44 7946 342 903, skype: bridgetfishleigh or bridget@telecomsprafrica.com

Although there was much discussion of spectrum and other aspects of coverage, a thought-provoking presentation on some little-explored issues caught our attention. We tend to think about the costs of RAN solutions and backhaul, but we often don’t think about the physical cost of deploying and building cell sites.

Happily, one speaker shed some light on this neglected area. During the presentation, he noted how simple things such as the amount of concrete needed to support cell towers can actually be significant barriers to progress. This is because cement is, well, heavy, and cannot easily be transported to the most remote locations. If the amount of cement required to support a cell tower or pole can be reduced, it can reduce logistics costs and make transportation into areas without infrastructure much less of a challenge.

Similarly, the size of towers and poles has always followed a typical template. However, experiments have shown that a smaller tower (albeit with a reduced coverage radius) can be perfectly acceptable – so long as the deployment is backed by a clear understanding of where people actually are, rather than where maps say they are. Smaller towers are easier to transport and build – and can also provide surplus mounting points in the event that additional coverage needs to be deployed in the future.

This is pragmatic and profound work. It also reinforces some of the conclusions about optimisation to which we referred earlier. Some coverage is better than none and can be a spur to subsequent innovation and investment. It shows that careful consideration of issues that are typically overlooked (concrete reinforcements, tower size) can reduce the cost of deploying services and the time taken to build them.

All of these are key factors and need to be incorporated into future coverage extension plans. It’s clear that coverage does not only depend on issues such as spectrum selection but has other, practical considerations that have often been overlooked.

At WTL, we’ve long been aware that coverage planning is a question that needs to be explored from a wide range of perspectives and this valuable work emphasises the importance of thinking beyond more obvious technical issues.

If you’re wondering how to make rural connectivity work, let’s talk about how we can optimise deployments and plan for the unique requirements of your location.

Learn more about rural ARPU.

Many in the industry have long been sceptical about the financial returns that can be secured from deploying rural connectivity. There’s been an assumption that the revenue potential from some of the most remote locations is severely limited. Experiences from TIP show that these assumptions may well be wildly inaccurate.

For example, research presented at the event showed that ARPU from some remote deployments very quickly reached similar levels to that enjoyed in cities, a finding completely unexpected for many.

Another limiting factor that has been cited in the past is handset availability. If there are no handsets, how can users begin to access services? Well, it turns out that there are significant second-hand markets, which mean that potential subscribers could quickly access handsets. One case reported that users emerged within two or three days, already equipped with devices, pointing to thriving markets with previously unsuspected stocks of devices.

So, it really does seem that, “if you build it, they will come” – and, better still, they will pay, which may start to shift thinking at a wider level. Rural deployments certainly fulfil economic development goals but, contrary to what some might things, there’s really profit in those hills after all – something we’ve been saying for years.

Get in touch to find out how to profit from rural connectivity.

What does this mean?

We all know that a significant proportion of the global population is beyond the reach of mobile networks, but we tend to think of specific regions in which the problem is more acute. However, visitors to the recent TIP summit in London were left in no doubt that it’s a truly global problem.

Not only did we learn that more than 100 million people lack connectivity in Latin America, we also heard of innovative projects designed to bring connectivity to remote countries that already enjoy coverage for more than 98% of the population.

For example, one presentation highlighted recent deployments bringing connectivity to isolated communities in Scotland, which had previously been beyond the reach of conventional networks.

However, these cases also raise questions about the nature of the coverage that should be deployed. The question is not about whether it should be 2G, 3G or 4G, but, rather, if remote infrastructure needs to be built to the same standards as that in more easily reachable areas. It was suggested by several speakers that deploying equipment with the same resilience and performance goals as that in more central locations could increase costs dramatically. Accepting some performance compromises might be a way to reduce expenses and also to deliver lower OPEX.

It’s an interesting idea. In the Scottish case, we heard that the community is taking responsibility for managing the solution, which helps make it more economically sustainable, because it reduces the need to send engineers to site. The concept of self-management is one that’s central to WTL’s Vivada solution, as it can be deployed as a standalone, self-contained network, with integrated billing capabilities, as well as connectivity via satellite and other links to peers. In other words, communities can easily create and run their own networks, an idea that has grown in popularity as some have grown frustrated with the efforts of conventional operators to deliver the infrastructure citizens need today.

Of course, this is an area in which regulators have a role to play. Will they accept compromises in performance and QoS guarantees in order to provide some degree of coverage? In other words, is some coverage, with slightly variable performance, better than no coverage at all?

There’s no easy answer to this question, but another way of looking at it could be to consider the incremental impact of adding services to a deployment. Perhaps once coverage exists – even if imperfectly – the addition of new complementary capabilities, such as IoT services, local electricity generation and so on can be a driver to enhancing overall performance.

It would be rather like taking a minimum viable product (MVP), launching and, as consumption grows, iterating to ensure that evolves through regular updates and improvements. This is an intriguing avenue to explore and one which could be significant in terms of reducing investment costs and increasing project viability.

Of course, Vivada caters to this approach, as it can be the foundation of a host of services that can be rolled out after the launch of basic voice and data from a simple, lightweight foundation. Could lowering performance thresholds provide a spur to accelerate closure of the coverage gap?

What do you think? Why not get in touch and share your views?

Conducted every year, WTL’s surveys provide the latest insight and opinions from operators, ISPs, Governments and vendors building networks across rural Africa. This year the survey has been divided so that some of the specific issues facing regulators and policy makers are separately addressed.

People from across the ecosystem with experience and opinions are welcome to share their thoughts at wtl.be/africacom2018-survey and wtl.be/africacom2018-regulator-survey

WTL’s 2017 survey showed that, despite the significant investment in Africa’s telecom infrastructure, the cost of building rural networks combined with low ARPUs and a long ROI continue to be the major barriers to building rural networks.

However, it was clear that people working in rural telephony are looking for new ways to build commercially sustainable networks with 94% saying that every element of a rural network could and should be shared – and that network sharing, spectrum sharing and neutral wholesale players all offer a way to spread the CAPEX costs of rural networks.

WTL continues to champion the National Roaming model across Africa which will increase coverage, improve service levels and encourage competition

National Roaming has two components:

• Building new shared networks in rural areas where there is little or no coverage at the moment. These would be built by a neutral service provider and used by existing operators. Allocating USF money to the CAPEX cost of such networks would reduce the risk.
• Enabling people to use the network of other service providers where their own service provider does not have a network or has limited network coverage. In effect, operators share their infrastructure thus eliminating the need to lay duplicate infrastructures in areas where this is not commercially feasible.

Leigh Smith, MD of WTL, said Our team has been extremely busy this year helping operators of all sizes to build the business case for rural connectivity in rural Africa. It’s clear that the traditional MNO model is not working for rural Africa – and that most people think that network sharing is the way to move forward.

We hope that others working in this market will come forward and share their thoughts in our survey. We will present the results with appropriate commentary and as a call to action to urge greater stakeholder collaboration to help break barriers, extend boundaries and deliver more coverage.

WTL will be exhibiting at AfricaCom again this year on Stand number A44. To arrange a meeting please email rubin.rose@wtl.be

About WTL

Headquartered in Belgium with offices in Nigeria, Brazil and the UK, WTL helps operators in emerging markets to deploy cost-effective, reliable voice and data networks for both rural and urban environments.

WTL has deployments in more than 30 countries in Africa with a well-deserved reputation for excellent service, reliable products and an expert team with extensive experience in Africa.

WTL’s innovative, practical and cost-effective portfolio includes its:

• Vivada (Village Voice and Data) which was specifically developed so that operators, wholesale carriers and ISPs can build low OPEX, low-CAPEX networks in rural areas.

Vivada includes a micro GSM or LTE base station, wifi routers, backhaul optimisation, billing and provisioning software, VoIP compression switches and SMS servers. The entire system runs on less than 200W which can be supplied by solar with battery back-up. Villagers are also able to charge devices such as phones and powerboxes at the Vivada installation.

• Signalling gateways and pre-paid applications for emerging carriers and telecom service operators.
• Award-winning range of high capacity VoIP and hybrid VoIP/TDM switches which have been specifically designed to replace the huge, expensive, maintenance-heavy switches that have traditionally been used to transfer VoIP traffic onto other networks.

For more information visit www.wtl.be or contact WTL’s PR rep on +44 7946 342 903, skype: bridgetfishleigh or bridget@telecomsprafrica.com