K3 broadband solution

3air has formed a partnership with K3 because we believe K3 has the best potential to kickstart the 3air platform based on its proprietary technology and success in building true broadband in densely populated urban areas of emerging economies. Its technology and vision align with 3air’s to bring equal opportunities to Africa’s cities by providing stable, secure, and affordable broadband, TV, and telephony.

Broadband infrastructure

K3 is building broadband infrastructure in urban African areas, providing millions of people broadband internet connection, digital TV, and IP telephony. 3air may co-invest in K3 broadband infrastructure. This infrastructure alone offers us the potential to bring over 1 million users onto the 3air platform within 3 years and north of 10 million users within 10 years.

K3 Lastmile solution is a patented wireless technology for broadband data transfer over great distances with the throughput and performance equaling that of a cable network. K3 Lastmile solution is a wireless infrastructure with the only technology that can completely replace any wired connection.

Figure 19 Technology comparison: Cable broadband vs. K3 Lastmile solution

K3 Lastmile solution is a unique integrated wireless triple-play content providing system based on a point-to-multipoint solution in the telecommunication market, providing radio access to all the residential and business users in a radius of up to 50 km from every base station. With this, we can provide all the triple-play services that residential and SOHO users need today.

The system also provides the possibility of providing content such as remote healthcare, e-government, virtual schools, automatic meter reading, remote work, and others. Standards used in the system are well-known and world-certified, like DOCSIS, EuroDOCSIS, TDMA DVB-C, and DVB-T.

K3’s services include:

• Ultra-High-speed Broadband Internet (up to 1.000 Mbps per end user).
• OTT Services (Netflix, Apple TV and other TV, streaming services, Timeshift, VoD functionality, 150+ SD and HD digital TV channels, for unlimited number of TV users because TV signal is broadcasted)
• VoIP Content (Full premium functionality services: Caller ID, Call Transfer, Fax, Voice Mail, Simultaneous Multiple Line use…)

Up to 17.112 Mbps per Base station delivered.

Up to 15.000 users per base station served.

Up to 1.000 Mbps per end user.

Case studies

Key use cases delivered across different user groups and jurisdictions are summarized below.

Figure 20 K3 Lastmile solution key use cases

Future plans

In cooperation with K3, 3air will bring broadband internet, digital TV, and IP telephony to the following countries:

• Ethiopia,
• Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),
• Nigeria,
• Guinea,
• Congo Brazzaville,
• Ivory Coast,
• Ghana,
• Sudan,
• Mozambique,
• Zimbabwe,
• Kenya,
• Senegal.

We have already established contacts in high places and licenses in most of these countries, with work set to begin in Ethiopia, DRC, and Nigeria immediately after funding.

K3 is already present and fully operational in Sierra Leone and is presently in late-stage investment talks with major African countries. Once the 3air platform is ready, K3 may move all their existing clients to the 3air platform, guaranteeing fast adoption in the early stages of the platform.

K3 provides all its services in-house, while 3air may bring all its services to the blockchain.

New technologies for low-income areas

K3 and 3air are developing an IoT platform in combination with a low-cost Wi-Fi mesh network. It will be included in future services and will provide broadband services at ultra-low rates for areas that cannot afford high-quality, dedicated, or shared broadband services.

This project is already in its pilot phase in Sierra Leone.