African fibre optic broadband and satellite connectivity provider Liquid Intelligent Technologies has signed an exclusive agreement to sell US satellite company Globalstar’s private 5G products in Africa and the Middle East. The partnership may also be expanded on a non-exclusive basis to cover Globalstar’s non-terrestrial satellite network connectivity, terrestrial band n53 spectrum, and IoT solutions, the statement said.
Liquid Intelligent Technologies, owned by London-headquartered systems integrator Cassava Technologies, will exclusively offer Globalstar’s so-called XCOM RAN private 5G solution in the region, offered as an open RAN multipoint radio system for private 5G networks. Cassava Technologies operates in more than 40 markets across Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, and the new private network offer will work in the first two of these regions.
XCOM RAN products use Globalstar’s n53, an 11.5 MHz chunk of mid-band time division duplex (TDD) spectrum from 2483.5 to 2495 MHz that requires a single frequency band for both uplink and downlink channels. The n53 band has been approved by 3GPP for 5G networks, as has the company’s Band 53 4G variant. Globalstar calls it “a rare swath of mid-band spectrum not owned by a wireless operator.”
The company says it is marketing the system to integrators, enterprises, governments, telcos, and cable companies. Globalstar claims the XCOM RAN system delivers “four times more capacity and better performance compared to baseline 5G NR systems in both downlink and uplink transmissions.” The company said reliability is “dramatically improved by eliminating challenges such as radio interference, multiple RU clusters, disconnected RUs, and handover losses.”
A press note promoting the partnership also mentioned support for “AI-driven applications.” The companies stated: “It will revolutionize the mining industry in Africa and high-end markets in the Middle East and Gulf regions… Combining XCOM RAN with the globally licensed Globalstar n53 mid-band spectrum creates a highly unique offering for private and enterprise 5G networks.”[ItissettorevolutionisetheminingindustryinAfricaandhigh-endmarketsintheMiddleEastandGulfregions…CombiningXCOMRANwiththegloballylicensedGlobalstarn53mid-bandspectrumcreatesaveryuniqueofferingforprivateandenterprise5Gnetworks”
Liquid Intelligent Technologies will provide customer support for Globalstar’s products and services, including technical support and warranty services. Strive Masiyiwa, founder and chairman of the company, said, “We are very excited about this breakthrough in private 5G. This technology allows us to serve large enterprises, such as mining, with their own private 5G network that can also enable next generation services such as AI. This is huge.”
Hadi Penhiwa, president and CEO of Cassava Technologies, said: “We look forward to the opportunities for our existing and potential customers in these sectors. Globalstar’s 5G enterprise solutions will enable us to provide unparalleled connectivity to customers across the African continent, which is in line with our goal of becoming a technology company representing African heritage.”
Paul Jacobs, CEO of Globalstar, said: “Liquid’s regions of leadership are large and growing markets for our technology, which enables secure automation and remote control of mobile devices in high-value environments. Together, Liquid and Globalstar will accelerate the adoption of advanced wireless technologies in Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf.”
