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Solar boost for Wi-Fi

NET1 Mobile Solutions is preparing to roll out an enhanced solar-powered lamp in rural areas across the country which will also act as a Wi-Fi hotspot – enabling millions of people to be part of the digital world.

The new Sun-e-light is aimed at people with little or no access to electricity. This could be rural people or those residing in shacks. The first version of the lamp will have a light and cellphone charger, while the later version can also be used as a Wi-fi hotspot.

As a Wi-Fi hotspot, the “next generation Sun-e-light” offers users the ability to research online and experience the digital world, thereby providing users with access to job portals, for example.  

Net1 Mobile Solutions MD Philip Belamant says: “We don’t want to just light up the room, we want to light up people’s lives with opportunities and information. It’s also about other solutions that could be provided by the light.”

Sun-e-light is a corporate social investment project for Net1 Mobile Solutions, a company owned by JSE and Nasdaq-listed Net1 UEPS Technologies.

“In our initial launch we will be handing out 2 000 lamps with thousands to follow month on month,” says Belamant. The company is looking at distributing the solar-powered lamps at schools and different areas across the country.

“The idea is that moving forward we will have the Wi-Fi hotspot built into the lamp, which we will aim to amortise completely to the consumer,” says Belamant.

“So our objective is to give people a light, enable them to read a book or study at night, pick up a phone which you will be able to connect to a hotspot … via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth and then surf the net. 

"The Sun-e-light takes eight hours to charge and provides a battery life of up to 16 hours.

"The solar-powered lamp could be ordered through sending a free USSD request and we will utilise our group’s current distribution network to reach all corners of the country to ensure the device is delivered timeously.

“In theory, we would like to help people in rural areas to get jobs by accessing job portals on the net using the Wi-Fi hotspot provided by the lamp. Right now, a number of rural people are going home and there is no internet or light. They can’t even read a book,” Belamant says.

He adds: “The idea is not to make money from the lamp. It’s to give people access to the net and hopefully provide them with other services that they don’t necessarily have to pay for.

"We are looking to partner with corporate companies who will provide their clients with access to their services, ultimately ensuring that the consumer gets the best possible value.”

To reduce the cost of accessing the internet, Net1 Mobile Solutions is presently in talks with a number of interested parties, who will assist in amortising the bandwidth across all areas where the lanterns will be distributed.

 “We are in conversation with various partners,” Belamant says.

 - Fin24
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