Huawei has announced that its innovative RuralStar Pro solution has been commercially rolled out recently in Guizhou, China. The solution is designed under the integrated access and backhaul (IAB) model and promises to significantly lower the deployment costs of providing voice and mobile broadband services for remote villages.
David Guo, President, Huawei Wireless Network Site Product Line, has introduced RuralStar Pro in detail at Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2021. Guo noted that 600 million people globally still have no access to mobile connectivity. The RuralStar Pro solution could provide connections for these uncovered areas at the optimal cost and fastest speed. The solution integrates a baseband unit (BBU), a remote radio unit (RRU), and a relay device into a single module, enabling one module one site. The power consumption of each site is less than 120W.
It can significantly reduce the end-to-end cost of deployment and expect a return on investment within three years. The solution has heightened digitalization within Maopo Village of Guizhou Province by commercially rolling it out. With RuralStar Pro, installing a base station along with provisioning of LTE and VoLTE service can be completed in two hours. The coverage rate in the village is now 85%, and the downlink speeds reach 30 Mbps.
Abraham Kofi Asante, CEO, Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), had also appeared at MWC Shanghai to speak about the organization’s rural network deployment plan. GIFEC plans to work with Huawei to deploy more than 2,000 RuralStar sites. It is estimated that 3.4 million people in 172 rural areas will benefit from the plan, and Ghana’s mobile coverage rate will increase from 83% to 95%. The project will give an enormous boost to the local economy.
In this project, GIFEC will be responsible for the construction, and local operators will run the service. The project is running smoothly now, where over 400 deployed RuralStar sites are already generating revenue.
Fatogoma Aristide Sanon, Deputy CEO, Orange Guinea, had also shared his country’s digitalization strategy. He noted that, during the pandemic, digitalization has been crucial in all aspects of life, including the economy, education, and healthcare. Orange is committed to digital inclusion for everyone in Guinea.
In the last three years since its initial launch, Huawei’s RuralStar solution has been continuously evolving. Huawei is committed to sustained innovation to bring digital to every person, home, and organization.
