Wireless Africa
by Adriaan Hendrikus Stander
(Centurion, Pretoria, South Africa)
Wireless Africa
Wireless Africa is a young and innovative company that was established in 2007 by two dynamic entrepreneurs, Adriaan Stander& Jan Steyn. The two founders identified an opportunity to utilize billboards, buildings and lamppost as hosting structures for equipment that is required in wireless internet and communication applications. Standard practice involves the erection of costly masts that are used to house equipment necessary to send and receive wireless signals. Preface
Wireless Africa established that the cost of erecting masts to host such technology was exorbitant. It is estimated that the cost of erecting masts is approximately R75 000.00 - R500 000 and an additional R57 000 for a compulsory “Environmental Impact Assessment” (EIA) conducted before construction can commence. Consequently, Wireless Africa conceived a solution to offer billboards as an economic alternative to costly and time consuming erection of masts. Telkom, the biggest provider, instructed its actuaries to perform a comparative cost analysis between construction of masts vis-à-vis rental of already erected billboards that have complied with EIA requirements. The study confirmed that billboard rental proved more cost effective.
Accordingly Wireless Africa went a step further and secured almost 99% of high site billboard across the country. This in turn positioned the company as the only supplier of billboards as an alternative to erection of costly transmitting masts. Through further innovations, Wireless Africa also identified and secured a number of suitable lampposts and buildings to widen its offering to the wireless industry.
Wireless Africa has been engaged by blue chip wireless service providers to provide this billboards solution initially for a specific period of time. The demand for the service is overwhelming in the market to the extent that several more contracts with other wireless operators are underway. The concept as well as the contract secured and those still to be secured has become the Intellectual Property for Wireless Africa albeit for a 10 year period.
Regards
Adriaan H Stander
Operations Director
Wireless Africa
Office: +27 12 6430225
Mobile: +27 82 821 1770
Fax: +27 86 661 0033
Office Fax: +27 12 643 0187
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