Vanu provides products and services that help mobile network operators profitably serve off-grid markets that are currently not served. We create solutions for access to communications and internet for people that need it most in rural areas around the world.

Vanu for years has been focused on places that do not have good coverage and the 1.2 billion people that have no coverage whatsoever.

Remote markets are difficult for mobile network operators to serve because remote markets have lower revenue potential and higher operating costs.

We looked at the highest expenses’ carriers incurred when trying to provide service in rural areas and came up with a combination of technical innovations and business model innovations that allow us to address the challenge by lowering operating expenses and increasing revenue opportunity for mobile network operators. We have rolled out this model in several places throughout Africa, India, Europe, USA, Canada, South America, to name a few. We are doing a fair amount in this space, but there is a lot more to be done.

One area of key focus for us has been to determine coverage in specific countries.  We find there has been a large disparity between advertised coverage versus real coverage.  We developed VanuMaps because we wanted to see where coverage was and the converse of that where coverage was not and also to map population on top of that so that we could identify where there are pockets of people in sufficient concentration that we can build sites to provide service to them and make it profitable to do so.

Small cell ROI requires a precise answer to the question: where should I build?

• Where are the people located who need coverage?
• How many people are there?
• What is the best location(s) for sites to cover the most people?

You need high resolution accuracy information about population distribution and movement, terrain, propagation and pre-existing coverage in order to ensure you invest in the right locations.

Access to coverage data at the granular level enables network operators to identify communities in need and provides a known ROI for the investment.

What is VanuMaps?

• VanuMaps is Vanu’s patent pending new coverage mapping tool that is changing the business of serving unserved markets.
• It includes several data sets, including population and terrain, to enable identification of uncovered populations.
• VanuMaps has two key functionalities:
  • Identifying and prioritizing existing coverage gaps.
  • Automating the planning of new sites for optimal coverage.
  • VanuMaps lets mobile network operators quantify the business case for investment in regions that lack cellular coverage

How does VanuMaps work?

• Vanu developed a series of proprietary software algorithms that can produce maps incorporating coverage, population, terrain, propagation and other factors with a level of precision not previously available to these markets.
• Using this data along with site information, we generate high resolution coverage predictions of each site.
• Information from each site is then aggregated to develop a regional view of coverage and its complement, uncovered areas.
• Population, economic activity, tourism, displaced populations, conflicts, natural resources, and other activity that generates need for cellular connectivity can then be layered on top of the coverage model to assess areas of greatest need.
• Finally, the mapping tool can be used to plan the optimal placement of the new small-cell sites based on the identified areas of need, topographical, terrain and propagation information.Vanu views connectivity as essential for meeting sustainable development goals, to enable financial inclusion, and to have impact, but we also view connectivity as something we must be able to deliver profitability because with 1.2 billion people our solution must scale to have a meaningful impact in terms of being able to connect a significant percentage of those without connectivity today. Our key focus is delivering profitable systems to these markets to create connectivity. The mapping tool is a way of identifying where those markets are. We also developed the mapping tool with an awareness that there are other businesses out there that need connectivity to be able to execute on what they do and we can help businesses identify where they can go, where there is connectivity if they rely on it to make sure their business will be successful and they won’t run into a brick wall when they get there . They have predicated their business model on mobile payments or off-grid solar power and then there is no connectivity so then they can’t monetize their investment. So, there’s a dual purpose of the tool. Our mapping service is available to help all businesses understand where coverage exists.