VANU, Loofca Ltd sign partnership on rural connectivity, to deploy 10,000 mast sites in Africa

Loofca International Limited UK and VANU Inc., USA, on Monday, signed a partnership on rural telephony to deploy 10,000 sites across Africa.

The partnership aims to connect rural communities to telecommunications services.

Speaking at the sign-off event, Olufemi Olukoya, chief executive officer (CEO) of Loofca International Ltd, described the project as a huge step in connecting millions of people in rural areas to the world.

He added that the project will bring about opportunities that being technologically connected affords.

“Within a space of three to five years, we are looking to deploy about ten thousand sites across Africa and we are looking for about 2000 in rural areas in Nigeria,” Olukoya said.

“For tier one operators, what this means is that in that period, many more Nigerians will have access to data, will be able to use telephones in rural areas to connect to all over the world.

“This is a very positive step. It is capital-intensive as we noted but we are up to the task, ready for it and the nation will be better off. Ten thousand sites across Africa will bring a serious positive impact.

“The beauty of the project is that most tier-one operators have signed in on this.

“So, what we have done is that we are making our sites available for them to use. Tier one operators, you all know, from MTN, Orange, GLO, and AIRTEL, across Africa. Whoever is interested comes onboard but first and foremost, it is our sites.

Anoj Singh, vice-president of VANU Inc, said connectivity is a “must have and no one should be left out”, adding that the rural communities also need “access” to the external world.

He also noted that connecting the unconnected is also part of the mandate of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

With the partnership, he added that the telecoms regulator will get faster to its goal of connecting a certain percentage of the nation.

“We are precisely working together as a coverage services provider for Africa, where we will be extending the coverage of tier one operators,” he said.

“The signing/partnership is for decades.

“We are working with Loofca International Ltd and the purpose is to connect the unconnected communities across Africa. Together, the technology divide which is currently there, we are going to minimise this by deploying solutions to connect unconnected rural communities in Africa.

“We are providing operators with voice and data services so that these communities can be connected to their dear ones and families outside the rural communities.

“We decided to partner with Loofca because they are spread across countries in Africa and their wide reach. They are very much inclined to generate a sort of employment for rural communities and that can be possible by connecting these communities to the outside world.”

Also speaking, Moshood Shehu, a director at Loofca International, said the technology to be deployed for the project has been specifically designed for rural areas.

“The technology will cut emissions and this contributes to our climate goal. Another thing is that these sites are going to deploy the proprietary technology of VANU.

“If you notice, when you go out of Lagos, your bar will drop to 2G or 3G on your phone and you may be unable to connect to the internet. But these sites will be able to carry data, internet, voice calls without being affected with the latest technology.

“It is one of the best things that can happen across Africa.”