UAE Based 3air to bring Blockchain enabled internet to Africa

UAE and Slovenian based 3air a blockchain Internet startup, which has set up hub in Dubai DMCC Crypto Centre, will leverage the power of Blockchain to provide internet connectivity to consumers in Africa. It will provide the physical infrastructure to support this through its partnership with K3 Telecom.

At present only 20% of people on the African continent are active internet users with less than 1% having access to broadband. Compare this with the 60% of the world population that are active internet users. As such 3air's vision is to make broadband connectivity easily accessible to the masses through its blockchain internet platform.

3air aims to achieve this first by addressing the problem of physical infrastructure in low-connectivity regions. The startup has partnered with K3 Telecom which will develop the physical infrastructure as part of its “K3 Last Mile” initiative, while 3air develops the blockchain-based software. The physical infrastructure will consist of mobile internet base stations, each of which will support up to 15,000 internet users, have a range of 50 km and provide up to 1 Gbps per user (240x faster than the average mobile internet connection).

Base stations are interconnected around a city with at least one in any network connected to the global internet. According to 3air, this approach is both more efficient and cost-effective, as they can be deployed and started quickly owing to their small size, robustness, performance and low-skill installation. Additionally, each base station consumes a relatively low 500 W, meaning their impact on their local environment is minimized. The connection is then relayed to homes or buildings which host the transceivers.

Simultaneously, 3air is seeking to bring the world’s fastest-growing continent into the fast-developing decentralized age. 3air leverages the power and features of the popular blockchain platform Cardano to connect internet users in the region with K3’s physical infrastructure.

Cardano provides the foundation for 3air’s native token, 3air, which is used to acquire all services on the 3air platform including monthly subscriptions to internet and TV services, digital identities, staking, rewards, and loyalty system and the referral system.

3air holders will also win governance rights over the direction of the platform including a say on the allocation of funding. The team has also stated that the token will form the basis of future ideas and features that will revolutionize the way we connect. These include greater data access and the Internet of Things for governmental and maintenance functions, enabled by the platform’s open access and privacy features.

Currently, the 3air token is being used to fund current development, with the presale already open. A public sale will take place in November.

Both current and future developments are aided by 3air’s strategically acquired partnerships. K3 Telecom is a Swiss technology provider with an international presence, including a location in Sierra Leone. Together with K3 Telecom, 3air is piloting the “Cable in the air” initiative to prove its concept of decentralized internet access in the West African country.

The team has also secured partnerships with IT TIM and DMCC based CV Labs Dubai who will also contribute to the development of the physical infrastructure and software that 3air is set to deploy. These partnerships are being supported by a stellar team with experience in the ISP world as well as building decentralized software solutions in the region.

3air aims to connect its first clients within six months and realize its vision of becoming the world’s first blockchain-based decentralized and permissionless ISP service platform.