Photo by Avanti

Avanti Communications continues to make progress in Africa’s connectivity market after signing a partnership agreement that could help connect 400 million people in rural sub-Saharan Africa with mobile broadband services.

The U.K. operator announced Thursday that it signed a deal with Clear Blue Technologies International (Clear Blue), a smart off-grid company, to deliver satellite service and VSAT equipment to support Clear Blue’s network in the region over a three- to five-year time span. At the same time, Clear Blue will deploy its smart off-grid solar-powered solutions with remote management and control.

“Our core belief is that everyone deserves the socioeconomic benefits of a more connected life, and this partnership with Clear Blue will bring life-enhancing coverage to rural communities in remote areas. Together with Clear Blue, we will be able to deploy thousands of sites across Sub-Saharan Africa, connecting a population that is growing at 2.7 percent per year. We expect the remote telecom market to continue to take off and we are looking forward to being at the forefront of the rural network coverage expansion,” Libby Barr, Chief Operating Officer at Avanti said in a statement.

Avanti’s rural network coverage solution currently supports 2G, 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi connectivity across Africa.

Financial details of the contract were not disclosed.