Loon is expanding its footprints in Africa. Weeks after launching in Kenya, the loon has signed a deal with Vodacom to expand its network spread to Mozambique. This mark the second commercial deal across the African continent.
As people struggle to adapt to the global changes in the face of COVID-19 pandemic. Working from home has been the new normal. The loon project will heighten access to healthcare and any other critical information.
Vodacom and Loon teams have been working collaboratively with the relevant authorities to secure the approvals and enable the service in the past few months. “Thanks to this work and partnership, we’re pleased to now have the necessary permissions to fly above Mozambique, to import and install ground infrastructure, and to serve Vodacom users with Loon’s floating cell towers,” Said Alastair Westgraph, CEO of Loon.
Loon will begin serving the Cabo Delgado and Niassa provinces of Mozambique. Which include regions that have proven hard to cover in the past due to their vast and logistically challenging geographies.
“We’re extremely pleased to be partnering with Vodacom, one of Africa’s largest mobile network operators. Vodacom has a big footprint in southern Africa. And provides service to tens of millions of people across multiple countries every single day. With Loon’s Mobile Network Expansion (MNE) solution, we’ll help Vodacom reach more users in Mozambique and bring connectivity to places where it previously didn’t exist.
As Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub says “Vodacom’s partnership with Loon is a perfect example of how technological innovation can connect the most rural communities in Africa. We are pleased to be part of this initiative in Mozambique, which is helping to bridge the digital divide.
This is even more pertinent in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. More Mozambicans will now have access to healthcare information through our Loon partnership. We look forward to forging similar partnerships and projects across the continent. As we ensure that no one is left behind when it comes to accessing the global digital economy.”
Speaking on the expansion, the Loon CEO said, “We look forward to forging similar partnerships and projects across the continent. As we ensure that no one is left behind when it comes to accessing the global digital economy. Loon brings with it benefits for the operational efficiency of our fleet.
“Loon vehicles float on wind currents in the stratosphere, they are constantly moving in and out of a given service region. With two countries in close proximity to one another, we can share vehicles across service regions when it makes sense to do so, which will increase our utilization rates. It’s pretty cool that in the lifespan of one vehicle, it could serve in multiple countries, multiple times.” he added.