Huawei Launches RuralStar Pro Solution

The Huawei Products and Solutions Launch was recently held in London. During the event, Huawei launched its RuralStar Pro solution. This solution integrates baseband, radio frequency (RF), and wireless backhaul functions into one base station, significantly reducing site deployment costs. RuralStar Pro makes it possible to provide voice and mobile broadband services to remote villages with a population smaller than 500.

According to a GSMA report, nearly 750 million people worldwide still have no mobile network coverage, while 3.5 billion people don’t have Internet access. The majority of these people live in remote areas with limited access to networks and electricity, and where it is expensive to build infrastructure. Traditional solutions need 8 to 10 years to recover their costs, so telecom operators are unwilling to roll out networks in remote areas.

Innovation never stops. The RuralStar Pro solution Huawei launched at the event is another example of the company’s commitment to technological breakthroughs. Through the use of high-integration chips, this “all-in-one” solution integrates baseband, RF, and wireless backhaul functions into one, reducing site dependence on infrastructure. RuralStar Pro requires only two solar panels to power the entire site, significantly reducing power consumption and lowering the weight of the base station to nearly 550 kilograms. The civil engineering work required is also reduced, ensuring simplified site delivery.

These new features allow for more simplified network equipment and decreased infrastructure costs, significantly reducing the cost of RuralStar Pro. The return on investment (ROI) period for operators also remains within 3–5 years, while providing mobile broadband services to rural areas with a population smaller than 500. RuralStar Pro moves a further step towards improving the lives of people in remote areas by enabling remote education, inclusive finance, telemedicine, and other digital social services.

“Due to low ROI in the rural network market, operators and equipment vendors have been very cautious with their investments”, said Hao Yingtao, President of the Wireless Site Domain of Huawei’s Wireless Network Product Line. “Huawei is committed to bridging the digital divide and promoting digital inclusiveness, and has never stopped investing in connecting the unconnected.”

“Through technological innovation, RuralStar Pro can effectively reduce power consumption, simplify sites, and reduce network construction costs. It will play a huge role in improving the accessibility of rural networks. Huawei will continue innovating and doing its utmost to bring digital to every corner around the world.”

Huawei has been committed to bringing digital to every person, home and organization for an intelligent world. In 2017, Huawei launched RuralStar, its innovative rural network solution. This solution transforms microwave or satellite transmissions used in traditional rural network solutions into relay remote node (RRN) wireless backhaul, towers into simple poles, and diesel generators into clean, green solar energy. These transformations reduce network deployment costs by more than 50%. RuralStar makes it possible for operators to profit from rural networks that serve remote areas with a population of over 1,000. This greatly encourages operators to tap into the rural network market.

At the Mobile World Congress 2019, Huawei launched RuralStar Lite, yet another innovative rural network solution. Fitted with four solar panels, RuralStar Lite greatly reduces power consumption. The solution allows all equipment to be installed on a pole, eliminating the need to build fences or install cabinets. The combination of these advantages significantly reduces site deployment costs. In villages with a population of 500 to 1,000 people, RuralStar Lite keeps operators’ ROI period within 3–5 years.

Huawei’s three rural network solutions, RuralStar, RuralStar Lite, and RuralStar Pro, guarantee profitable deployment in different rural network scenarios. Since 2017, when the first RuralStar solution was launched, the RuralStar series has been deployed in over 50 countries, providing connectivity to more than 40 million people worldwide.