WaveTek, Carlson Wireless Partners on BroadBand Delivery

WaveTek Nigeria has signed a partnership agreement with Carlson Wireless Technologies US, to develop the adoption of TV White Spaces to meet the growing demand for broadband coverage in Africa.

This venture is expected to give fillip to Internet usage in the region by delivering high-speed, low-cost broadband access and penetration particularly to “last mile” customers in un-served and under-served areas.

The partnership is a strong strategic fit, leveraging the two leading companies’ respective strengths, including experience and innovation.

Speaking on the project, Ken Spann, CEO of WaveTek Nigeria Limited said:  ‘'This agreement with Carlson is another firm step to assist Nigeria’s drive to bring Broadband to all areas of Nigeria.”

“Introducing Super Wi-Fi at this point in time is very significant for the region because it means that finally, Africans in every corner, be it the big cities, suburbs or hinterlands, can become global players by having unhindered access to the Internet.  More importantly, is the issue of affordability as the costs of access are lower when compared to current ace methods,” he added.

James Carlson, CEO of Carlson explained, “We are excited to partner with WaveTek Nigeria on this ground-breaking initiative.  This relationship symbolises a great opportunity for Carlson to register and significantly grow its presence in Nigeria, a vibrant and key market, and extend it to other parts of Africa in a short space of time.”

Greater broadband penetration is expected to contribute significantly to the African economy.  As contained in a report presented on behalf of Omobola Johnson, minister of Communications at the United States/Nigeria infrastructure conference in Washington DC on October 11th 2012.

The minister said, “In the second quarter of 2012, the Telecommunication & Postal sector was the primary driver of growth of the Nigerian economy.  The sector is the fourth highest contributor to the nation’s GDP (29.77%).”

Recognising that the availability of broadband is a vital component of global competition, the presentation also mentioned that connecting Nigerians and bridging the “Digital Divide” is also top FGN Priority.

With nearly 15 years industry experience, Carlson has developed a line of “long Haul” radios that can extend up to 120km on unlicensed frequencies and was one of the first companies to develop radios to use the white space spectrum for broadband

Carlson, has established Best Practices and with WaveTek can assist Nigeria in rapidly developing the regulatory and governing framework and becoming the world leader in the use of this spectrum Carlson, after leveraging their experience in engineering high quality Micro Wave Radios has produced the first White Space radios that allows the use of this spectrum.