World Mobile launches balloon-driven mobile network in Zanzibar

What you need to know:

Beyond Zanzibar, World Mobile is in discussions with government officials in Tanzania and Kenya, as well as other territories under-serviced by traditional mobile operators.

World Mobile has announced the launch its unique hybrid mobile network which is supported by low altitude platform balloons in Zanzibar.

The company says it plans to roll-out its innovative service providing reliable mobile internet to more people at lower cost across African.


According to World Mobile, this will be the first time that their balloons will be launched in Africa for commercial use, providing a more cost-effective way to provide digital connection to people compared to rolling out legacy internet infrastructure.


Speaking on the launch World Mobile CEO Micky Watkins said they want to create a world where everyone can access affordable connectivity, a world where economic freedom is a truth and a world where people are able to jump on the opportunities that internet creates.

“Zanzibar will become the world’s first smart region powered by World Mobile, connecting businesses, schools and society as a whole,” said Watkins


 The remotely controlled aerostat balloons are powered by solar panels, inflated by helium and tethered to the ground. Once airborne, they act as floating cellular base stations transmitting radio signals to ground stations and personal devices.


The project – the first since a successful $40 million raise – will deliver coverage and access to the digital economy for over 1m million people in Zanzibar by end of 2023. 


The roll out will cover approximately 75 per cent  of Unguja Island and provide access to the wider digital economy including communications, e-commerce, finance, healthcare, and education to the islands’ 896,000 people. 

It plans to have 20 mesh sites – local Wi-Fi nodes – rolled out by January 2022 and 120 sites during the first six months of 2022 including the first aerostat balloon launch.

Beyond Zanzibar, World Mobile is in discussions with government officials in Tanzania and Kenya, as well as other territories underserviced by traditional mobile operators.







On the other hand the Director General of Zanzibar’s E-Government agency Said Seif said mobile internet services are becoming quite popular in Zanzibar, like everywhere else around the globe.


“These services bring online access to information and communication to the masses through their mobile phones, helping bridge the existing rural and urban digital gap. More crucially, however, these services are singularly responsible for promoting financial inclusion by allowing the banked and underbanked in Zanzibar to participate fully in the emerging digital economy. While these services have become indispensable, the high price of communication is a major entry barrier for the poor majority. World Mobile's service launch of affordable internet service in Zanzibar will be a game changer allowing the vast majority of Zanzibaris to fully participate in the digital revolution," he said


World Mobile already has agreements in place with the Zanzibarian government to provide connectivity for 300 schools, and a four-step plan is in place to unlock Zanzibar’s Blue Economy, across marine industries.