DataWind joins hands with Airtel over Internet Delivery Platform

Data Wind has partnered with Airtel Africa to provide low-cost mobile Internet access in Nigeria, marking Data Wind’s first expansion in Africa.

Airtel Africa is a subsidiary of Bharti Airtel Limited, a leading global telecommunications provider with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa. Airtel Africa is one of the four major network operators in Nigeria, offering 3G coverage throughout most major cities and 2G in most rural areas of the country.

In Nigeria, 88 million or 48% of the total population of 185 million people are without Internet access. Data Wind’s Internet Delivery Platform represents a significant step forward in low-cost Internet connectivity, offering a compelling solution to bring the Internet to the unconnected. By using patented, cloud-based technology, Data wind’s solution reduces bandwidth consumption by factors of over 10 to 30 times, resulting in an affordable, broadband-like Internet experience on any data network – even on 2G networks that remain prevalent in developing countries.

“This new partnership and our entry in Nigeria represent an additional new milestone for Data Wind, following our success in India. Partnering with Airtel to deliver Internet access demonstrates our continued ability to gain the support of major network operators,” said Raja Tuli, Chairman, Data Wind.

Data Wind intends to offer Internet access initially bundled with its low-cost tablet computers and smartphones, followed by the launch of a device-independent app that would provide the benefits of its breakthrough technology to the full universe of Android smartphone customers in Nigeria at a very affordable cost.