Indian telecom equipment-maker Vihaan Networks Ltd (VNL) is powering a communications revolution in Africa, particularly in villages and remote locations, through its innovative, green mobile tower solutions.
The latest to join its client list is Ghana, which has chosen VNL's solar-powered ‘WorldGSM’ mobile tower architecture — an environment-friendly and cost-effective mobile system — to deliver affordable services in villages. “The plan is to promote access to electronic services including broadcasting, the Internet, multimedia service and basic telephony in unserved areas of rural Ghana,” Rajiv Mehrotra, founder chairman and CEO of VNL, told The Hindu .
VNL is already present in Nigeria, Uganda and Benin, while it is in talks with other African nations to deploy its cheap and green telecom solutions. In Latin America, VNL has deployed its network in Bolivia and Peru. In Bolivia, it has partnered with Entel S.A., state-run telecom operator, for deployment of GSM mobile tower sites in remote locations under the ‘Cobertura Movil Rural’ (rural mobile coverage) project.
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As for India, Mr. Mehrotra said the solution offered to the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communication and Entel had been extensively tested in the country. In 2011 after a successful pilot project for demonstration of the capabilities of its mobile GSM solutions in rural areas of Alwar (Rajasthan), VNL was awarded a completion certificate by India's Universal Service Obligatory Fund. “We will be a major player in expansion of telecom services in rural areas,” he said.