VNL's solar-powered GSM and broadband infrastructure solution, which doesn't require any electricity from the power grid, gives mobile operators a viable and profitable way to reach 2.6 billion people in off-grid rural areas.
The lightweight, village base stations can be installed in hours by two unskilled local people, said VNL chairman and CEO Rajiv Mehrotra. "Our WorldGSM provides a near zero opex business case for mobile networks. Mostly importantly, its unique deployment architecture delinks coverage from capacity."
Urban markets everywhere are getting increasingly saturated and profit margins are getting squeezed.
He noted that network viability is under constant threat because of rising power costs and alternative fuel (such as diesel) costs to run networks in rural and remote locations. "Environmental and sustainable technologies are no longer just CSR domain concerns. They are very serious issues in the way forward for network expansion."
The company plans to expand its operator relationships in South Asia, Africa and Latin America, and it is actively scouting for partners with the right synergies to develop strong local operations in these markets.
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