Tech

Africa Mobile Networks pens deal with Starlink to connect millions in Africa

Published

9 months ago

August 16, 2023

Pan-African mobile operators, Africa Mobile Networks (AMN) has entered into a commercial agreement with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to use Starlink constellation of low Earth orbit satellites to connect its station bases across the African continent.

Mike Darcy, CEO of AMN Group, who made the announcement on Wednesday, said the deal would see AMN’s mobile network migrate to high-speed and low-latency services to “serve even the most remote and rural communities in the world.”

According to Darcy, the partnership will pull their vision closer than ever and will “enable AMN to bring 3G and 4G services to rural communities with high quality of service, and deliver ever-increasing amounts of bandwidth and volumes.”

“We are already making rapid progress in Nigeria where we have over 1,000 operational base stations today, to connect more unconnected communities, and we are seeing a huge appetite for data services in many of these places,” Darcy said.

“AMN plans to deploy Starlink terminals at sites in Nigeria during 2023, as part of a larger project to connect 700 additional rural communities before the end of the year.

“By collaborating with Starlink, we can support significant growth both in terms of the number of sites and services offered,” Darcy added.

The CEO reiterated that AMN was committed to its vision of a fully connected world where no community of significant size was deprived of telecommunications services for the social, educational and economic benefit of the population.

“AMN has made significant progress towards this vision, with telecommunications services now accessible to more than 10 million people in nearly 4,000 communities in 14 countries in sub-Saharan Africa as a direct result of the AMN towers.”

Chad Gibbs, SpaceX Vice President for Starlink Business Operations, who also commented on the partnership, said:

“We are excited to work with AMN on our shared vision of a fully connected world. Today’s announcement of Africa’s first cellular network to use Starlink for the backhaul is an important step that will bring high-speed connectivity to millions of people on the continent for the first time. especially in rural and isolated communities.”

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Tech

RepAir, Cella partner to launch carbon capture in Kenya

Published

6 hours ago

April 27, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Global Direct Air Capture (DAC) firm, RepAir, has entered into a partnership with carbon storage technology company, Cella, to launch a first-of-its-kind innovative Carbon Capture and Storage venture in Kenya.

In a statement on its website on Friday, RepAir said the venture will see a replication of its “cultivating partnerships” with storage firms in Europe, U.S. and Africa.

“This storage agreement will streamline the sale of high-quality carbon credits to off-takers, enabling corporations to meet evolving ESG standards, manage offsets and advance towards net zero goals,” the statement issued by RePAir CEO, Amir Amir Shiner, stated.

“Our solution sets a new standard, requiring only 600 kWh per ton of CO2 captured, marking the lowest energy consumption on the market.

“This agreement is perfectly aligned with the launch of our commercial demonstrator in 2025, empowering RepAir to offer high-quality carbon credits to our customers.

“It will see to the establishment of a storage partnership with Cella aimed at creating dedicated value chains for extracting CO2 from the atmosphere and permanently storing it underground through in-situ mineralization.

Corey Pattison, CEO, Cella, who also issued a statement on the partnership, said “by partnering with Cella at our first demonstration site, RepAir can capitalize on two critical resources: the potential for truly permanent, highly verifiable carbon storage via mineralization combined with Kenya’s abundant renewable energy sources.

“Together these resources provide a comprehensive solution for capturing and storing CO2 for off-takers. This collaboration represents an extraordinary opportunity to nurture mutual growth.”

Tech

Intel Liftoff Hackathon 2024 calls for applications from African AI startups

Published

1 day ago

April 26, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Applications for the 2024 cohort of Intel Liftoff Hackathon has opened for African AI startups designed to bring together aspiring tech entrepreneurs, software developers, and AI enthusiasts to collaborate, innovate, and create solutions to concrete African challenges.

In its second edition, the hackathon welcomes pioneering early-stage AI startup teams from the African continent, delving into experiments with LLM technology, a statement on the website of the organiser stated.

It added that the Intel Liftoff Hackathon for African AI Startups, which will be held online on May 27-31, is themed “Hack and Connect”, and will take place in partnership with Modus Africa, University Mohamed VI Polytechnic, Morocco

Other partners include TUT Hub of Artificial Intelligence Institute of South Africa, Prosper Africa, UM6P Ventures, FAST Accelerator, Innov8 Technology Hubs, and Open Startups International.

“The hackathon will feature hands-on workshops that will allow learning of AI essentials; three days of challenges with mentors to test skills; exhibition opportunities to showcase startups and forge partnerships with industry leaders; and networking opportunities to engage with fellow startups and gain insights from domain experts in the AI ecosystem,” the statement said.

“Winners will be invited to join the Intel Liftoff for Startups programme, and receive unique mentoring sessions with ecosystem partners and marketing opportunities with blog articles,” it concluded.