3air’s mission is to connect Africa’s unconnected population to the rest of the world through blockchain-based ultra-fast wireless broadband access.

The lack of fast, stable, and affordable access to the internet connection in most parts of Africa has dire economic consequences besides limiting people’s potential to grow.

In fact, only 46.2% of the African population has any form of wireless internet coverage, which mostly relies on EDGE or 3G internet services known for being slow (for today’s standards anyway).

3air is here to make a change. Continue reading to learn more about 3air and how it intends to achieve this goal.

3air in a Nutshell

3air is a next-generation company offering blockchain-based wireless broadband access to predominantly internet-underserved regions in Africa.

The 3air platform is a product of agelong research into blockchain technology devised to offer solutions to some of the world’s leading problems.

Dedicated background work and viable partnerships with industry leaders in broadband and blockchain technologies have concluded in commercial operations started in 2021.

3air’s Blockchain Telecom

3air's blockchain-based telecom service offers the advantages provided by traditional service operators and those harnessed by blockchain technology. The combination of technologies nullifies long-standing disadvantages such as expensive services and unstable internet connection with a questionable level of security.

3air’s wireless broadband infrastructure is attained in partnership with K3 Telecom, a Swiss-based telecom company and patented K3 Lastmile solution — the wireless technology for broadband data transfer over long distances. K3’s solution, unlike most wireless broadband technologies, has nothing to do with underground fiber optic cables.

On the contrary, K3 delivers broadband services over the air (OTA). 3air uses this technology to deliver wireless internet coverage in Africa on the Skale blockchain.

However, the advantages of blockchain-based solutions go beyond cableless infrastructure and internet stability.

The 3air platform also protects the integrity of digital identities, offers a high level of security, and provides higher bandwidth for lower costs, among other features.

In addition, ISPs can use 3air's Telecom Management System (TMS) to offer their high-speed broadband internet service to their customers.

Overcoming the Challenges in Building Wireless Broadband Infrastructure in Africa

3air’s mission is a philanthropic one — helping African societies and economies to develop through the direct impacts of our services. However, there are some latent challenges that 3air intends to overcome with dedicated effort.

Population Density and Housing Structure

          High population density and poor housing structures can pose a major challenge to broadband infrastructure installations.

Traditional wireless broadband connection setup requires as many base stations as possible to offer stable internet connection, and they are susceptible to landscape and weather conditions.

However, K3 employs base stations able to withstand harsh weather conditions and rugged terrains. Each K3 base station has an impressive coverage radius of 50km, offering users within the area a stable broadband connection up to 1 Gbps.

Wide coverage means fewer base stations, which is great for highly dense cities like Lagos and Kinshasa.

High Cost of Broadband Infrastructure

Wireless broadband connection setup is typically expensive and available to only a fraction of Africa’s population. The few players in the industry have capitalized on this challenge and set high prices for the service.

3air is driving the change in the industry with low fees. The K3 Lastmile infrastructure saves 95% of the building cost as fewer base stations — with higher reach — are needed.

This allows 3air to offer broadband services at lower rates, making it possible that more people in Africa can afford and enjoy the benefits of blockchain telecom.

Local Laws and Policies

Unfavorable policies and regional instability can cause companies’ investment in wireless broadband infrastructure and similar technologies to go down the drain.

To tackle this issue, 3air plays by the book and secures necessary licenses and approvals to operate in target countries. 

3air also established worthwhile relationships and partnerships with major stakeholders in target countries to not only ease the penetration process into the market but to also understand the specific needs of each society.

The successful integration of various technologies in resolving the pain points of Africa is proof of 3air's resilience to improve people’s living conditions worldwide.

While blockchain telecom may not be popular in Africa, it is for sure that affordable wireless broadband access will not only connect the unconnected but also foster benefits at the very roots of the targeted societies.

3air is a decentralized telecom platform connecting people of Africa with broadband. Please visit 3air.io for more information.

(content reposted by a project enthousiast from 3air.io with permission of 3air.io)