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Addressing the Digital Divide in the Caribbean: A Path Forward with Summa Networks' VoWifi Solution
The Caribbean region faces a significant challenge in the digital era: the digital divide. Despite advancements in mobile technology, nearly half of the Caribbean population remains unconnected. This disconnect is stark, with over 15 million people residing within the coverage area of 3G or 4G networks yet unable to access the internet. At the same time, 5G is in the early stages of deployment, constituting only 1% of all mobile connections in the region at the end of 2023. Addressing this issue is paramount for the region's socio-economic development.
The Current Landscape
The digital divide in the Caribbean is a pressing concern. While there are extensive 3G and 4G networks, a substantial portion of the population is not reaping the benefits of internet connectivity. Several factors contribute to this scenario:
- Digital Divide: Over 15 million individuals, although within reach of mobile network coverage, remain unconnected to the internet. This gap underscores the need for strategic interventions to enhance accessibility and digital literacy.
- Investment Requirements: To bridge the mobile coverage and usage gaps, significant investments are necessary. By 2030, the network capacity must expand fivefold to manage the anticipated surge in data traffic. This growth is driven by major traffic generators such as Meta and Google, which will significantly increase data demands.
- Traffic Growth: Data traffic per mobile connection is forecasted to escalate from 3.0 GB per month in 2023 to over 15 GB by 2030. This surge highlights the critical need for infrastructure development to support this exponential growth.
- Market Challenges: The current market conditions fall short of achieving the 2030 connectivity targets. Urgent market reforms are essential to unlock investments, enhance network capacity, and improve affordability for end-users.
A Strategic Solution: VoWIFiInabox
At Summa Networks, we recognize the need for reliable and scalable connectivity solutions in regions like the Caribbean, especially in remote areas where traditional network solutions are challenging to deploy. Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) has emerged as a common approach to deliver broadband internet by using wireless technology to connect fixed locations, bypassing the need for extensive fiber or cable infrastructure. However, while FWA can enhance internet access in underserved areas, it comes with limitations—such as higher infrastructure costs, scalability issues, complexity and bandwidth limitations.
This is where our innovative solution, VoWiFiInabox, comes into play.
VoWiFiInabox provides a more versatile, cost-efficient, and scalable alternative to FWA, especially for regions where traditional network expansion is challenging. Unlike FWA, which focuses primarily on internet connectivity, VoWiFiInabox extends full mobile communication capabilities—allowing for voice and messaging services over Wi-Fi, even in locations where mobile network signals are weak or non-existent.
Our VoWiFiInabox solution is an integrated, fully virtualized, and cost-effective platform that enables communities with limited or unaffordable mobile access to communicate efficiently. By connecting to a mobile backbone, VoWiFiInabox ensures seamless inbound and outbound mobile communications over existing Wi-Fi networks, bridging the digital divide with ease and efficiency.
VoWiFiInabox offers a turnkey solution that includes the fundamental elements required for VoLTE/VoWiFi calls, reducing integration points, and minimising time-to-market and total cost of ownership for communication service providers (CSPs). It supports cloud implementation as a Platform as a Service (PaaS) deployment, allowing for greater flexibility and scalability.
This solution includes an IMS core and a full SDM (Subscribers, Policy and Identity management) featuring protocols like SWx, SWm, S6a, S6b, STa, SWa, and others needed to allow trusted and untrusted access to a carrier network. These solutions sit in the core of a carrier network and generally integrate with:
- MME / PGW / SGW: To receive the requests for calls from the devices in the network.
- OCS: For charging purposes.
- OSS/BSS: An API for Subscribers provisioning and management is available.
- Optionally, depending on customer network architecture, it might integrate with an SBC or other elements.
VoWifi Benefits:
- Enhanced Coverage: VoWifi allows users to make and receive calls over a Wi-Fi connection, bypassing the limitations of mobile network coverage.
- Cost Efficiency: Implementing VoWifi is significantly more cost-effective than expanding traditional mobile networks.
- Improved Connectivity: By leveraging existing Wi-Fi networks, VoWifi ensures continuous connectivity, enabling residents in remote areas to access essential online services and resources.
Conclusion
The Caribbean's journey towards comprehensive digital connectivity is fraught with challenges but also ripe with opportunities. Both FWA and VoWiFiInabox present viable solutions for improving connectivity in underserved regions like the Caribbean. However, VoWiFiInabox stands out for its versatility, cost efficiency, and ability to leverage existing infrastructure. By addressing the digital divide through strategic investments and innovative solutions like Summa Networks' VoWiFiInabox, we can pave the way for a more connected and digitally empowered Caribbean.
If you are interested in learning more about our solutions, please feel free to contact us at go@summanetworks.com
Source: GSMA report "The Mobile Economy 2024"
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