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Tarana, Microsoft Partner to Bring Broadband to Africa

Tarana and Microsoft Partner to Expand Broadband Access Across Africa

Tarana Wireless and Microsoft have launched a strategic partnership designed to reshape internet connectivity in underserved regions of Africa. Uniting advanced fixed wireless technology with Microsoft's global infrastructure and reach, the collaboration centers on bringing fast, affordable broadband to communities historically left behind by traditional telecom networks. By addressing persistent gaps in digital infrastructure, the initiative lays groundwork for economic development, educational advancement, and improved access to essential services throughout the continent.

Uneven Signals: Understanding Africa’s Digital Divide

Current Connectivity Landscape

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most digitally disconnected region in the world. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), only 36% of the population in Africa used the Internet in 2022, compared to a global average of 66%. This gap deepens when you contrast urban and rural coverage. While cities like Nairobi, Lagos, and Johannesburg show moderate to high broadband penetration, vast rural regions across the continent remain offline. The disparity poses a challenge not only for equitable development but also for long-term digital integration.

Urban vs. Rural Access

The divide between rural and urban broadband infrastructure is stark. Urban centers benefit from better network density, fiber-optic deployment, and mobile broadband availability. Meanwhile, rural areas contend with:

Why Access Matters

Connectivity fuels participation in the global digital economy. Without stable internet access, communities are locked out of essential services and opportunities. Consider what gets left behind:

Digital inclusion is more than a policy ambition—it's a development necessity. The United Nations codified this in its Sustainable Development Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, which addresses the need for universal and affordable internet access. Expanding broadband across Africa directly supports goals tied to poverty reduction, gender equality, education, and economic growth.

Forging Connectivity: Meet Tarana and Microsoft

Tarana Wireless: Engineering the Next Leap in Broadband

Tarana Wireless entered the broadband space with a mission to radically transform wireless access. Founded in 2009, the company has built its reputation by delivering platforms that simplify deployment, reduce costs, and outperform legacy fixed wireless technologies—even in challenging environments.

At the core of Tarana’s innovation stands the G1 platform, an advanced next-generation fixed wireless access system. It operates in both licensed and unlicensed spectrum and eliminates the line-of-sight requirement, allowing for rapid installation in congested urban settings as well as remote rural locations. G1 uses intelligent interference cancellation, real-time channel optimization, and synchronized time-slotted communication to deliver fiber-class speeds over long distances—without the need for extensive physical infrastructure.

Thanks to this technology, network operators worldwide are rapidly expanding internet coverage in markets that traditional telecom providers have consistently underserved. Tarana’s inclusion in the Africa broadband initiative builds on this track record of disruption and performance.

Microsoft: Advancing Access Through the Airband Initiative

Microsoft’s Airband Initiative aligns global cloud capabilities with local innovation. Since its launch in 2017, Airband has helped bring high-speed internet to underserved rural communities in countries such as Colombia, Ghana, and the United States. The model focuses on partnerships with local ISPs, regulators, and hardware providers to accelerate deployment while increasing affordability and reliability.

Through strategic alliances and spectrum advocacy, Microsoft has played an active role in enabling rural connectivity ecosystems. The initiative blends cloud services, digital skills development, and edge computing to generate scalable, replicable infrastructure blueprints. In every deployment, the emphasis remains on economic empowerment, education access, and digital inclusion.

Shared Vision: Connectivity as a Growth Agent

Tarana and Microsoft converge on a single, focused objective: deliver high-performance broadband access to millions currently offline. Their partnership is built on complementary strengths. Tarana brings field-proven wireless innovation that can reach across valleys, mountains, and informal settlements without trenching or tower proliferation. Microsoft adds extensive cloud infrastructure, regional partnerships, and experience operating within diverse regulatory environments.

With a shared conviction that ubiquitous internet unlocks economic opportunity, educational access, healthcare delivery, and government transparency, the collaboration turns infrastructure into impact. Together, they aim not simply to install networks—but to activate ecosystems.

What happens when transformative wireless meets cloud-first strategy? In this case, broadband goes further, faster, and fairer across the African continent.

Inside the Network: How Tarana and Microsoft Are Delivering Wireless Innovation Across Africa

Tarana’s Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) Solutions

Tarana’s proprietary Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) platform, anchored by its G1 broadband node, redefines what's possible in non-line-of-sight (NLoS) environments. Traditional fixed wireless systems suffer degrade performance when faced with obstacles like dense foliage or urban architecture. G1 eliminates that deficiency by using advanced interference cancellation and adaptive beamforming, enabling strong, consistent signals even in chaotic spectrum conditions.

The platform operates in both licensed and unlicensed sub-6 GHz bands—like 3.5 GHz CBRS and 5 GHz Wi-Fi—allowing service providers flexibility in network design. Thanks to its unique modulation and real-time radio optimization, G1 handles high device density and fluctuating signal environments without sacrificing throughput. In lab and field trials, G1 systems consistently deliver up to 800 Mbps of usable throughput per link, with latency typically below 5 milliseconds.

How G1 Technology Outperforms Legacy Wireless Systems

Where legacy wireless systems rely heavily on line-of-sight paths and are prone to interference, G1 thrives in cluttered radio environments due to its intelligent signal processing model known as Next-Generation Fixed Wireless (ngFWA). Performance testing in locations with dense housing and signal overlaps showed that G1 delivers 3x more coverage and 4x better spectral efficiency than standard LTE-based FWA alternatives.

This improved efficiency results from an integrated approach to spectrum usage, enabling the reuse of frequencies without geographic separation. Additionally, Tarana’s systems automatically adapt to congestion and evolving topography in real time—delivering a broadband experience that remains stable over long distances and shifting environmental conditions.

Built for Speed: Rapid Deployment in Remote Regions

Deploying G1-based infrastructure requires fewer towers. A single base node covers up to 30 square kilometers, significantly reducing setup costs in rural and underserved areas. The hardware is ruggedized, lightweight, and designed for pole, rooftop, and low-height tower installations. This flexibility allows network operators to go from zero to live in days instead of weeks or months.

In practice, this means even isolated villages with poor road access can receive high-quality broadband faster than ever before.

Microsoft’s Cloud Infrastructure Powers Scale and Security

While Tarana lays the physical connectivity, Microsoft ensures scalability and digital ecosystem development via its cloud and AI infrastructure. Edge-compute capabilities offered through Azure Stack Edge allow data preprocessing closer to the user, reducing latency for critical applications like e-health and e-learning.

Azure provides identity management, encrypted communications, automated backup, and AI diagnostics for network monitoring. In real-world deployments, this has helped telcos in Africa achieve 99.9% service uptime and proactively address downtimes via self-healing protocols powered by Azure Machine Learning insights.

Integration with Local Telcos and Satellite Infrastructure

Rather than operating in isolation, Tarana and Microsoft systems link directly into existing national telecom infrastructures. Backhaul is handled flexibly: fiber where available, and satellite where not. Microsoft has coordinated with satellite providers to ensure backhaul congestion is minimized, using intelligent route-switching algorithms in Azure for network load balancing.

This hybrid backbone—terrestrial wireless, cloud-managed services, and satellite backhaul—forms a resilient architecture that can scale across a continent where uniform infrastructure is rare.

Strategic Implementation Through Public-Private Collaboration

Aligning Local Stakeholders for Efficient Rollout

Tarana and Microsoft are not operating in isolation. Their approach to broadband expansion hinges on synchronizing with local governments, telecom operators, regulators, and community organizations. These alliances shape both the pace and sustainability of infrastructure deployment.

Local government entities play a direct role in expediting project logistics. By streamlining licensing processes, facilitating right-of-way permissions, and reducing bureaucratic obstacles, municipal bodies create a favorable environment for network expansion. At the same time, national telecom regulators coordinate spectrum allocation, ensure competitive fairness, and enforce infrastructure-sharing frameworks that lower costs for all stakeholders.

Telecom operators already embedded in African markets, particularly mobile network operators (MNOs) and local Internet service providers (ISPs), provide the on-ground operational presence. They contribute backhaul access, tower sharing agreements, and established customer service pipelines, all of which accelerate time-to-market.

Building Capacities Within Communities

The project extends beyond infrastructure. Workforce readiness shapes long-term success. Microsoft and Tarana are investing in community-centric capacity-building programs. These include digital literacy campaigns, technician upskilling courses, and collaborations with educational institutions to train future network engineers.

Consider a rural district where broadband was previously unavailable. With these programs in place, a local youth can transition from digital novice to certified network technician within months, contributing directly to the network he or she once lacked access to. These are not abstract goals—they are built into deployment milestones.

Through integrated action, this multi-level collaboration converts strategic planning into real, measurable coverage. By synchronizing regulatory facilitation, operational partnerships, and grassroots empowerment, the Tarana-Microsoft model sets a precedent for broadband scalability tailored to the African context.

Connecting the Unconnected: Focus Regions and Community Engagement in Africa

Geographic Focus Areas

Tarana and Microsoft are prioritizing several Sub-Saharan African nations where broadband penetration remains notably low. Countries such as Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of Congo have emerged as focal points due to their combination of large underserved populations and growing demand for internet services. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), as of 2023, internet penetration in Sub-Saharan Africa stands at just 29%, compared to the global average of 63%. The vulnerability of rural and peri-urban areas in these countries to digital exclusion has made them primary targets for pilot deployments.

Initial rollouts are timed and structured based on a mix of population density data, infrastructure availability, and logistical feasibility. For example, in Nigeria, pilot zones have been selected outside major urban networks—places like Kaduna State and parts of Ogun State—where connectivity gaps are widest but local engagement remains strong. This targeted approach allows the infrastructure to scale effectively while addressing acute access discrepancies.

Community Partnerships

Deployment success hinges not just on technology, but on the strength of local partnerships. Tarana and Microsoft are actively collaborating with NGOs, local governments, and civic organizations to align the broadband rollout with on-the-ground needs. These partnerships facilitate smoother entry into remote regions, help navigate regulatory landscapes, and provide crucial insight into community dynamics.

In places like western Kenya and southern Tanzania, engagement efforts go beyond initial infrastructure deployment. Local advisory boards—made up of educators, community leaders, and youth advocates—offer ongoing feedback and help tailor services to cultural and educational needs. These grassroots mechanisms ensure the technology resonates with community-specific challenges, such as digital literacy training and suitable pricing models.

Rather than imposing a top-down framework, the initiative embeds itself within existing social structures. This integration enables real-time adaptation and fosters local ownership, improving sustainability. By listening first and deploying second, the program avoids the pitfalls of disconnected development.

Inside the Framework: Technical Blueprint for Deployment

Network Design and Infrastructure

Tarana’s next-generation G1 wireless broadband platform, combined with Microsoft’s Airband Initiative, establishes a resilient, adaptable, and high-performance foundation tailored to Africa’s diverse terrains. The deployment prioritizes a hybrid model that merges fixed wireless access (FWA) with strategic fiber backbones. This approach enables rapid scalability while minimizing the capital-intensive demands of full-fiber networks in remote and rural environments.

The blueprint incorporates existing telecom towers, rooftops, and municipal infrastructure to reduce both construction lead times and environmental impact. Tarana’s wireless nodes are mounted directly onto these assets, connecting wirelessly with residential and business endpoints using sub-6GHz spectrum optimized for non-line-of-sight scenarios.

Hybrid Wireless and Fiber Model

The solution operates on a flexible hybrid layout:

This compound structure allows underserved and geographically isolated areas to come online without waiting for long-haul fiber digs—accelerating service availability.

Use of Existing Telecom Towers and Municipal Infrastructure

Instead of greenfield builds, the deployment leverages brownfield installations. By anchoring base nodes on current GSM towers, street poles, and water tanks, the infrastructure rides on what is already available. Municipal cooperation opens access to rights-of-way, utility poles, and public buildings, turning them into broadband enablers. This not only lowers cost but also accelerates time-to-service in countries with slower permitting processes.

Scalability and Sustainability

Every rollout builds on a modular architecture engineered for expansion. Using cloud-based control systems, engineers receive live feedback from nodes in the field. AI-powered forecasting systems analyze usage trends, population data, and geographic factors to inform future expansions. These insights drive phased deployments, targeting areas with the densest need and the highest potential return.

The hardware itself supports sustainability. Tarana’s devices consume significantly less power than legacy fixed wireless or satellite equipment—averaging below 50W per node. Embedded battery packs and solar-ready designs enable off-grid deployments, enhancing operational flexibility in areas with inconsistent electricity access. The sealed all-weather enclosures reduce maintenance cycles, cutting operational costs and prolonging equipment lifespan.

This blueprint doesn’t just work on paper. It scales in real-world conditions, adapts to the local landscape, and builds a zero-emission foundation for the digital economies now emerging across the continent.

Transforming Lives: Socioeconomic Impact of Connectivity

Education

Broadband connectivity dramatically reshapes access to education across underserved African communities. Schools equipped with reliable internet can integrate digital curriculums into daily teaching, exposing students to world-class learning materials regardless of their location.

Sub-Saharan Africa’s internet penetration for schools remains low, with UNESCO estimating that less than 40% of primary schools have access to meaningful digital resources. This initiative alters that landscape. Connected classrooms gain entry to platforms like Microsoft’s Education suite, Khan Academy, and local EdTech innovations tailored to indigenous languages and cultural norms.

Teachers, once constrained by outdated textbooks and limited training, can now participate in global professional development through webinars, remote certifications, and teaching communities. This digital inclusion enhances instructional quality while reducing professional isolation in rural districts.

Healthcare

Telemedicine extends critical care beyond urban centers, and broadband forms its backbone. In many African countries, over 50% of the rural population lives more than five kilometers from the nearest health facility. With broadband connectivity, rural clinics can conduct virtual consultations with city-based specialists, reducing patient travel time and accelerating diagnosis-to-treatment timelines.

Additionally, connected health systems allow real-time monitoring of public health data. Ministries of health can more accurately track outbreaks, vaccination coverage, and maternal health trends. For example, data-driven dashboards supported by Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare can compile geo-tagged reports from multiple inputs, enabling faster interventions where needed most.

Entrepreneurship & Job Creation

Connectivity introduces a rapid expansion of economic participation. Micro-entrepreneurs can sell goods on digital marketplaces like Jumia or Etsy, accept mobile payments, and access financial services that were previously out of reach. The World Bank attributes a 2-3% increase in GDP for every 10% increase in broadband penetration in developing countries.

Remote work reshapes employment patterns. Young professionals, particularly in countries like Kenya and Nigeria, increasingly participate in global freelancing platforms such as Upwork or Fiverr. High-speed internet removes locational barriers, allowing creative writers, coders, digital artists, and virtual assistants to secure contracts from international clients.

The startup ecosystem also gains momentum. Access to broadband encourages innovation hubs in secondary cities—not just the traditional capitals. Local developers and founders can leverage cloud tools, scale applications, and pitch to investors online. Broadband isn't just infrastructure—it becomes a multiplier of enterprise and aspiration.

Microsoft Airband’s Role in a Broader Context

Global Vision, Local Execution

Microsoft Airband operates on a foundational principle: adapt global strategies to regional needs. The initiative, launched in 2017, has consistently demonstrated that scalable connectivity solutions demand local understanding. By combining global technical expertise with grounded local insights, Airband creates deployment models that respond to specific social, geographical, and economic conditions.

In its work across continents, the Airband initiative has proven that access alone isn’t enough. Each project blends infrastructure with investment in local ecosystems—training, entrepreneurship, and service delivery—to ensure long-term success. Africa represents the next major phase in this evolving global strategy. Deployments are not replicas; they are reconstructions informed by firsthand experience in other regions.

Previous Benchmarks and What They Signify

Microsoft’s track record offers clear examples of success. In Latin America, Airband extended internet services to underserved areas in Colombia and Chile, where rugged terrains had limited service feasibility. By 2021, partnerships in the region enabled over 1.5 million people to gain internet access.

In the United States, Airband targeted rural communities typically bypassed by large ISPs. By 2022, the initiative had helped reach over 3 million people across 16 states, deploying a mix of TV white space and fixed wireless technologies. That initiative combined with policy engagement at both state and federal levels.

In India, a different approach was required. Airband partners collaborated with agricultural cooperatives to empower farmers through digital tools. Educational content, market access, and real-time pricing became accessible even in low-connectivity areas. Localization—down to language and literacy levels—made the difference.

Applying Lessons to Africa

Africa's deployment model integrates these learnings, but tailors them to distinct infrastructure gaps, policy landscapes, and economic environments. What sets the African model apart is the scale of reliance on co-investment and multi-stakeholder engagement. Governments, NGOs, and private firms—not just telecom entities—are treated as equal enablers of change.

Tarana’s advanced wireless technology eliminates the prohibitive costs of trenching fiber over vast, sparsely populated terrains. Microsoft provides the ecosystem architecture, from digital skilling to cloud services, riding on that connectivity. Together, they replicate the Airband blueprint: combine scalable technology with strategic partnerships that root initiatives within local economic development plans.

What emerges isn’t a Microsoft-led network, but a locally embedded framework with global support. This configuration ensures sustainability, bypasses dependency cycles, and amplifies localized solutions that already exist but lack infrastructure to scale.

Charting Africa’s Broadband Future: Pathways to 2030 and Beyond

Long-Term Goals: Building an Inclusive Digital Africa

By 2030, the shared goal across stakeholders, including governments, private companies like Microsoft and Tarana, and international development agencies, is universal broadband access across Africa. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), fewer than 40% of people in sub-Saharan Africa had access to the internet in 2023. To bridge this gap, efforts center on embedding connectivity targets within national development plans and ensuring that telecom expansion aligns with infrastructure, education, and economic reforms.

Governments are beginning to treat broadband not as a luxury but as core infrastructure—on par with roads and energy grids. This shift is driving new policy frameworks that prioritize spectrum access, permit streamlined tower deployments, and incentivize rural expansion. Countries like Nigeria, Kenya, and Rwanda have already integrated ICT infrastructure into their Vision 2030 strategies, unlocking capital and accelerating deployment timelines.

Innovation Pipeline: Tech-Infused Acceleration

Tarana and Microsoft continue to invest in research and development that directly feeds into the Africa broadband initiative. Tarana’s next-gen G1 platform introduces sophisticated beamforming algorithms and interference cancellation at levels previously unseen in fixed wireless, enabling stable high-speed internet even in dense urban or topographically complex regions.

Simultaneously, Microsoft is leveraging cloud-based AI to optimize network operations dynamically. Their use of AI-driven mesh computing and geospatial analytics allows for real-time fault detection, traffic rerouting, and bandwidth optimization—all without human intervention. These tools make broadband deployments more resilient and cost-effective, especially in underserved zones where repair logistics are challenging.

Imagine a mesh network that heals itself after a node failure, or one that redirects capacity based on time-of-day demand spikes in schools and marketplaces. This isn’t a concept under development—it’s undergoing phased rollout in select pilot regions.

Call to Action: Be Part of the Next Leap

The infrastructure is coming online—who will define what gets built on top of it?