Toronto-listed firm backs Kenyan Wi-Fi hotspots company

Toronto stock exchange listed company Clear Blue Technologies is set to provide Kenya’s tech company BRCK with smart off-grid power service as the latter prepares to roll out wireless internet hotspots across Africa.

BRCK’s roll-out of WiFi hotspots across the continent is set to begin next year through to 2024. BRCK business involves ground-up design and engineering of consumer electronics in East Africa. The firm has so far developed a connectivity device (SupaBRCK) which can support up to 40 devices, and can jump from Ethernet, to WiFi, to 4G seamlessly.

The device is designed to work in harsh environments where electricity is intermittent. Clear Blue’s smart off-grid technology provides a low cost, off-grid power solution, with automated remote management and control, predictive weather forecasting, and the ability to optimise systems remotely.

“By 2017, smartphone adoption in emerging markets had grown to 42 percent of the populations but many of these do not have a smart phone contract, meaning the majority of citizens rely heavily on WiFi. Connectivity is too expensive for the average African to afford, which is why BRCK has developed its free to consumer Moja platform,” said Reg Orton, Chief technology Officer of BRCK.

“Powering these hotspots will be crucial to making this a reality, and Clear Blue has demonstrated that they have the best solution in the marketplace, both in terms of cost and reliability. We look forward to our continued collaboration with Clear Blue as our partner,” he said.

Earlier in the year, Clear Blue supplied its smart off-grid technology to power WiFi hotspots at 10 sites in Kenya leading to the signing of the partnership.