SuperCell is a large-area coverage solution that leverages towers up to 250 meters high and high-gain, narrow-sectored antennas to increase mobile data coverage range and capacity. They also tend to be less densely populated, have a rugged topography, and lack cost-effective backhaul and grid power, making it difficult to expand mobile coverage in these areas. Rural areas typically generate a lower average revenue per user (ARPU) and thus a lower profit incentive. Mobile network operators (MNOs) face many challenges when it comes to shrinking the coverage gap. If current trends continue, the GSMA estimates that more than 40 percent of the population in lower-middle-income countries still won’t be online by 2025. While the number of people online has been increasing year over year, only about 40 percent of people living in lower-middle-income countries are connected, compared with nearly 75 percent in higher-income countries. This coverage gap is particularly concentrated in rural and remote areas such as in sub-Saharan Africa, which is home to 67 percent of the world’s uncovered population. SuperCell is designed to be a cost-effective, reliable alternative to traditional macrocell sites and to better address the need for connectivity in rural areas.Īccording to the GSMA, 600 million people globally live outside of areas covered by mobile broadband networks. But many rural communities still lack mobile internet access because the macrocell technologies that are traditionally used to deliver mobile connectivity to urban areas are simply not economically viable for remote communities in lower-middle-income countries. In many rural areas around the world, mobile is the only option for internet connectivity. Rather than produce this solution ourselves, we hope the results of our testing and analyses will provide a playbook for the telecom industry to bring the technology to market and help expand mobile coverage in rural areas in a way that is sustainable and cost-effective. Now, after working with telecom industry partners to conduct several trials and data analyses, we’re ready to share what we’ve learned. As part of our efforts to help expand connectivity around the world, Facebook Connectivity has been prototyping SuperCell, a wide-area coverage solution for increasing mobile connectivity in rural communities.
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