Terrenova Brings Affordable Cellular Connectivity to Remote African Regions with Peplink
Telecommunications companies in Africa strive to drive technological advancement across the continent, especially in remote regions. They were looking to expand their reach across multiple countries, delivering affordable cellular services to underserved areas and fostering inclusive development. This includes the return of the communications network to a city in the central African region after an interruption that lasted for almost eight years since October 2017.
Challenge
The targeted sites for service expansion were all located in remote and hard-to-reach areas. The companies have been previously reliant on microwave links and satellite connectivity, and fiber links were not implemented due to the high costs and physical limitations posed by the terrain. Consequently, they have faced difficulties in delivering high-speed services at affordable rates and wanted to opt for a more affordable and reliable offering.
Solution
Terrenova ICT, an Authorized Peplink & Starlink Solution Provider, partnered with mobile network operators to deliver a robust backhaul connectivity solution tailored to challenging environments. At the core of the infrastructure, Peplink’s B One was deployed at a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) and connected to three strategically placed Starlinks, ensuring reliable and high-speed LEO satellite connectivity in remote locations.
To enable seamless data transfer, a SpeedFusion VPN tunnel was configured between the B One and a Balance 2500 EC at the data center. This setup leveraged SpeedFusion’s bonding technology to enhance bandwidth, redundancy, and network reliability. WAN Smoothing and Forward Error Correction were also implemented to ensure zero packet loss and enhance call quality.
The overall infrastructure incorporated aggregated Starlink connections to provide direct internet access for data traffic. For voice and signaling traffic, a dedicated Starlink connection, or dual links for added redundancy, paired with Peplink, created a SpeedFusion VPN tunnel to the headquarters. This tunnel functioned as a virtual Layer 2 link, supporting the transmission of multiple VLANs and securely backhauling critical traffic to the core network.
Result
The bonded Peplink and Starlink solution achieved download speeds of up to 200 Mbps to 360 Mbps and upload speeds of 40 Mbps to 130 Mbps. Terrenova not only deployed this solution easily, but also significantly reduced operational costs. This enabled them to adopt the solution in more remote regions, replicating it across 67 sites, with plans to transition all remaining VSAT-dependent locations to the joint Peplink and Starlink solution.
The connectivity provided to remote regions supports mobile payment systems and resolved previous connectivity issues caused by network outages or fiber failures. Moreover, it ensured reliable backup for any wired connections and improved network resilience. The solution advanced LTE data offloading to Wi-Fi, enhancing user experience and increasing network capacity.
Testing has also commenced for the community Wi-Fi project.
Deployment
- Affordable and scalable router
- Aggregates multiple Starlink connections in remote regions
- Backhauls data to the data center through SpeedFusion tunnels
- High performing powerhouse to support over 10 000 concurrent users
- Centralizes data management via InControl at the data center
- Enables virtual Layer 2 support for backhauling critical traffic
*The new Balance 5000 EC will be added to the HQ, where the new SpeedFusion VPN will open new possibilities
