In 2021, a report from the United Nations found that nearly half of the world's population is still not connected to the internet. The pandemic only highlighted this staggering digital disparity, where those without internet access could not benefit from remote working or health services.
Although the technology to provide efficient mobile broadband using 3G has been available for over twenty years, it is still not fully accessible or implemented worldwide. Without action and significant development in connectivity, this lack of access to essential online services will continue to plague nations across the globe.
The Cycle of Inefficiencies
Even the most prominent tech players can’t figure out a solution, including Alphabet, which shut down its Loon project that aimed to use balloons to bring high-speed internet to more remote parts of the world. Despite a few successful deployments, the project could not find a sustainable business model.
“While we’ve found a number of willing partners along the way, we haven’t found a way to get the costs low enough to build a long-term, sustainable business,” Loon CEO Alastair Westgarth wrote in a blog post .
The telecommunication industry is lagging behind on connectivity, with problems ranging from outdated technology to expensive contracts. These problems are amplified in remote regions, with a 2021 report from Cable.co.uk finding that Sub-Saharan Africa has six out of the ten most expensive countries in the world for 1GB of mobile data.
Further, mobile broadband adoption is still facing accessibility hurdles. In a 2021 report on the State of Mobile Internet Connectivity, the number of people using mobile internet reached 4 billion —only 51% of the world’s population - despite many more technically receiving coverage. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the report states that only 28% of people use mobile internet and 19% receive no coverage at all.
Why aren’t traditional telecom companies doing better?
The answer is quite simple - it’s just too expensive, and it takes an average of two years to see any return on investment.
In traditional networks, phone towers connect to the operator’s core network via in-ground fibre cables or microwave transmission from tower to tower. There are always two control towers in case one shuts down, so the network doesn’t face any disruption.
However, this means connecting a large number of towers to this core network turns out to be extremely expensive and prohibits expansion.
The Solution
World Mobile ’s technology offers a solution to the current telecommunications industry’s problems - a hybrid mesh network using balloons. What sets them apart from the previous balloon networks is that they operate at a lower altitude and are far more cost-effective. World Mobile’s aerostats are a proven solution that have been used for many years in emergency and military deployments. The network has also engineered a sharing economy that enables decentralised ownership.
The growth of the network is driven by community involvement, where local communities can also invest in becoming node operators and earn a share of the revenue.
The platform’s sharing economy model aims to deliver network infrastructure that will improve network design and operational efficiencies and provide a more fluid delivery of connectivity to network users. The network uses blockchain technology to track the network usage of each user and calculate the earnings of the node operators, finally resulting in the reduction of operational and maintenance costs of the network, which ultimately means connecting people to the internet more affordably.
In addition to connectivity issues, expensive contracts, and poor coverage, the current telecommunication industry lacks transparency and trust. However, for the first time in history, users now have a gateway to the next generation of mobile connectivity in the palm of their hand.
