MEET THE FINALISTS

The winner of the Africa50 Innovation Challenge will be chosen in November from among seven finalists:

POA INTERNET

An ISP providing wireless high-speed broadband to homes and SMEs in low income and semi-rural areas. It is partnering with Google X to pilot a new middle-mile technology where light is beamed through the air, which is much cheaper than traditional fiber optics for equivalent speeds.

BLUETOWN

An early-stage ISP and digital content platform providing connectivity solutions to rural and semi-urban areas. It is finalising a pilot project to commercialise solar-powered WIFI hotspot towers that provide public internet connectivity and edge cloud local storage that allows users to access digital content while offline.

AIR TRIPLE PLAY (GLOBTEL)

Well established in emerging markets, it uses microwave signals to transmit information from base stations to receivers in households over long distances for large number of users (~50,000 users per base station).

SHIRIKI HUB (ARED GROUP)

A solar-powered kiosk platform along with a mobile router that provides connectivity and allows offline functionality. The solution has been deployed in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Uganda.

MESH PLUS PLUS

A mesh network solution connecting solar-powered devices to one another through an integrated routing algorithm that brings broadband connectivity to remote areas. The solution is currently deployed in Goma and seeks to expand in other African countries.

LIFI-LED

LIFI is a wireless communication technology that uses light generated by LEDs. It can provide access to both electricity via solar energy and highspeed internet via satellite. LIFi-LED provides services using this technology in Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia.

ABUNDANCE VILLAGES

(DMM. HEHE)

A solution that provides internet connectivity to serve Smallholder farmers and cooperatives through connected collection centers called Abundance VIllages.