Vodafone, a global leader
in telecommunications, and Vodacom, a leading African mobile communication
company, have announced a groundbreaking partnership with Project Kuiper, a
pioneering venture in the realm of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite technology. This
strategic collaboration is set to redefine the future of connectivity by
leveraging Project Kuiper's LEO satellite constellation to extend the reach of
Vodafone and Vodacom's 4G/5G networks.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, it noted that Vodafone and Vodacom plan to utilize Project Kuiper's satellite network, which has high-bandwidth and low-latency, to provide 4G/5G connectivity to locations that are difficult and costly to serve using traditional fibre or microwave solutions. By connecting dispersed cellular antennas to their core telecom networks through Project Kuiper, Vodafone and Vodacom can offer 4G/5G services to more areas without the need to construct fibre-based or fixed wireless links to their core networks, saving time and money.
As part of the
collaboration, Amazon plans to partner with Vodafone to roll out Project
Kuiper’s high-speed broadband services to unserved and underserved communities
around the world. The companies are also exploring additional
enterprise-specific offerings to provide businesses with comprehensive global
connectivity solutions, such as backup service for unexpected events and
extending connectivity to remote infrastructure.
Margherita Della
Valle, Vodafone Group Chief Executive, said: “Vodafone’s work with Project Kuiper will provide mobile connectivity
to many of the estimated 40% of the global population without internet access,
supporting remote communities, their schools and businesses, the emergency
services, and disaster relief. These connections will be complemented further
through our own work on direct-to-smartphone satellite services.”
“Amazon is building Project Kuiper to provide
fast, affordable broadband to tens of millions of customers in unserved and
underserved communities, and our flexible network means we can connect places
that have traditionally been difficult to reach,” said Dave Limp,
Amazon’s senior vice president for devices and services. “Teaming with a leading international service provider like Vodafone
allows us to make a bigger impact faster in closing the digital divide in
Europe and Africa. Together we’ll explore how we can help our customers get the
most value from expanded connectivity, particularly in areas like residential
broadband, agriculture, education, healthcare, transportation, and financial
services.”
“At Vodacom, our purpose is to connect for a
better future, and we work every day to bring more people in Africa online,”
said Shameel Joosub, CEO of Vodacom Group. “Collaborating with Project Kuiper
gives us an exciting new path to scale our efforts, using Amazon’s satellite
constellation to quickly reach more customers across the African continent.”
Vodafone, Vodacom and
Project Kuiper will begin deploying services in Africa and Europe as Amazon’s
production satellites come online. Amazon is preparing to test two prototype
satellites in the coming months before starting to deploy production satellites
in 2024. Amazon expects to begin beta testing Project Kuiper services with
select customers by the end of 2024, and Vodafone and Vodacom plan to
participate in that testing through this collaboration.
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye