USD4.9m WiFi3 deal for West, Central Africa

COMPUTING

Canada’s Edgewater Wireless has announced a USD4.9 million deal that will expand its market for its WiFi3 technology into West and Central Africa. 

The agreement, with World Affinity Telecom, is for the supply of next-generation WiFi3 technology as part of phase 1 of a multi-phase program designed to deliver WiFi3 and WLAN coverage throughout several Western and Central African countries.  The first phase of the deployment program is to begin in the third quarter of this year in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Edgewater Wireless’ WiFi3 technology will be used to deliver broadband services and applications over WiFi3 and WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) networks – initially throughout Freetown, and extending the network across the country by the Q3 2013. Edgewater Wireless will work closely with World Affinity Telecom to define and design the network and associated product requirements for the Freetown deployment which will include government buildings, schools and hospitals.

World Affinity Telecom and its local subsidiary, Sierra WiFi, are leveraging a state-of-the-art fibre network within Sierra Leone to provide wireless broadband services. In addition to the national deployment of WiFi3 technology in Sierra Leone, World Affinity Telecom has secured licenses to deliver national WLAN coverage in a number of other Western African countries, including Guinea, where the company plans expansion of a WLAN network, backboned by WiFi3 technology, by the end of 2012.

“As a former Minister and Ambassador to Canada for Senegal, I am strongly committed to the growth and development of our continent through the advancement of technology,” said Amadou Tidiane Wone,Chairman of World Affinity Telecom. “Through our partnership with Edgewater Wireless, WiFi3 brings an innovative solution which will strengthen our communications and technology infrastructure in order to accelerate the development of our natural and human resources.”