Inclusive Connectivity: Huawei RuralStar Empowers Remote Rural Areas in Northern Côte d'Ivoire
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Côte d'Ivoire, located above the equator and south of the Tropic of Cancer, benefits from a distinctive geographical advantage and favorable climate. These conditions create a conducive environment for the country's agriculture. Geographically, Côte d'Ivoire has a flat terrain with elevations that do not exceed 400 meters. The majority of the land is made up of plains and low plateaus, which makes it highly fertile and ideal for large-scale agricultural cultivation. Côte d'Ivoire benefits from a tropical climate that provides ample sunshine all year round. The warm and humid environment is ideal for cultivating high-quality tropical economic crops such as cocoa, coffee, cashews, and rubber, which are exported to both domestic and international markets.
Agricultural development is vital to the prosperity of Côte d'Ivoire. The country's agricultural output contributes to one-quarter of its national economic output, with agricultural exports accounting for over 70% of the total exports. As per the World Bank's 2022 data, the rural population in Côte d'Ivoire is substantial, making up 47% of the total population. Agriculture plays a crucial role in providing employment opportunities, and is closely linked to the livelihoods of the residents.
Unfortunately, due to regional development disparities, transportation inconveniences, and other factors, the northern regions of Côte d'Ivoire lack network infrastructure severely. As a result, many rural residents remain disconnected from the world, unable to meet even their most basic communication needs such as making phone calls, sending text messages, and accessing the Internet. This has a severe impact on their quality of life and hinders the further development of local rural economies. Initiatives such as developing e-commerce for agriculture, promoting digital transformation, and upgrading the agricultural industry chain seem like mere fantasies in such circumstances.
Huawei and the Ministry of Communications of Côte d'Ivoire have joined hands to address the network coverage issue in remote areas of northern Côte d'Ivoire. The project is being funded by the World Bank and aims to build 155 base stations in the first phase. Each station will cover a village, using Huawei's one-stop-shop, low-cost RuralStar solution, which features a 2G+3G network architecture.
Huawei RuralStar uses a standardized design that can be installed on poles of different heights (18–35 meters) depending on the terrain and network needs. This solution is ideal for situations where budget is limited, as it enables quick and efficient construction without compromising on business requirements, while keeping costs low. In addition, RuralStar features simple maintenance. Huawei has established a base station controller (BSC) in the data center and a network management unit to oversee the status of base stations, microwave, and power. This has significantly reduced the complexity and cost of manual maintenance.
Huawei RuralStar challenges the stereotype that "cheap is no good." Despite its low cost, RuralStar provides reliable network coverage and ensures maximum assurance and satisfaction. Each base station uses a full-outdoor, low-power BBU as the rural wireless signal modulation unit, along with an omnidirectional antenna for signal reception and transmission. This pole-mounted site can cover a range of 3–5 km. In terms of reliability, RuralStar utilizes outdoor microwave technology with a typical power consumption of only 60W. The devices are mounted on poles on the rural network to enable data backhaul for RAN, ensuring stable and reliable data transmission.
Furthermore, the Huawei RuralStar solution offers the Ministry of Communications an eco-friendly alternative that guarantees network stability and effortless maintenance while promoting environmental protection and sustainable development. Given the ample sunlight available year-round in Côte d'Ivoire, Huawei's RuralStar solution can harness solar power as its energy source to supply station power, with a standby time of up to 48 hours.
Huawei's RuralStar solution has successfully provided network coverage to rural areas in northern Côte d'Ivoire, enabling them to access the Internet and connect to a vast digital landscape. This breakthrough has significant implications for individuals, industries, and nations alike.
As fast and stable communication network services became available, farmers are now able to have voice conversations with distant relatives, make video calls with children working away from home, and sell agricultural products online. This has helped them improve their farming skills and increase their income. RuralStar can help local agricultural industries develop digitalization, providing accurate and timely agricultural data to support production. It can also promote e-agriculture, enabling farmers to sell their products to a wider market, alleviate poverty, and improve their living standards and quality of life. Huawei has been helping Côte d'Ivoire bridge the digital gap between urban and rural areas, improve the level of digitalization in rural regions, and provide significant support to drive the country's overall digital transformation process.
In the digital era, access to connectivity is considered a basic right for every individual. Huawei has been committed to bringing digital to every person, home, and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world. We support the idea of technological equality and believe that everyone should have access to connectivity, regardless of their location or circumstances. Our goal is to ensure that no individual or region is left behind in this process. The Ministry of Communications successfully deployed Huawei's RuralStar solution in remote rural areas of northern Côte d'Ivoire. This serves as a valuable example for other remote regions worldwide, promoting digital inclusivity and connecting those who were previously unconnected. The impact is ongoing and will continue to benefit communities for years to come.
