Network solutions company, Nokia has teamed up with satellite provider, iSat Africa to improve rural connectivity in Liberia. This deployment is set to take three years and will cover over 200 sites in rural regions of the country.

iSat Africa will be responsible for the rural deployment while Nokia will be responsible for the technology used. Envisioned to be the leading provider of innovative and reliable telecommunication solutions, connecting people and empowering businesses, iSat Africa specializes in broadcasting, rural connectivity, fixed and mobile satellite solutions, and MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) across Africa and the Middle East. The company claims to provide fiber-like connectivity from space and has established  Points of Presence (PoP) integrated with fiber and satellite services in over 30 African countries. Nokia will provide its AirScale radio portfolio for the rollout, which includes Massive MIMO radios, remote radio heads, and base stations. Nokia will supply its MantaRay Network Management system for use by iSat.

“Our Rural Connect solution ensures robust coverage in remote areas, enabling voice and data services for communities that have been historically underserved,” said Osama Said, customer team head for West Africa and enterprise at Nokia. “This partnership represents a significant step toward reducing the digital divide and fostering socio-economic development.”

The collaboration will ramp up broadband inclusion and foster socio-economic growth in Liberia’s remote areas. The country has a 33.6% internet penetration. iSat Africa is connected to Eutelsat’s OneWeb, which it signed a distribution agreement with recently to provide broadband connectivity across Central, Western, and Eastern Africa.