Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) specialist Tarana has announced it's working Microsoft to deploy its ngFWA broadband across underserved African communities.

The partnership will see the two companies support service providers in rural and underserved Africa in deploying government-approved telecom equipment.

Tarana notes that this will be done through competitive pricing, training, and technical support.

The vendor specializes in developing kit for FWA and has more than 200 service provider customers. According to its website, it spent a decade of R&D into FWA, investing more than $400 million, before developing its ngFWA product.

FWA is seen as a key use case of 4G LTE and 5G, as spectrum from those technologies can be used to provide wireless broadband connectivity between two fixed points, such as from a cell tower to an FWA device.

In some regions across Africa, fewer than 30 percent of the population have reliable Internet access, noted Tarana.

According to Tarana, its ngFWA broadband platform combines "fiber-class performance with the agility of wireless technology to connect communities at a fraction of the cost or time required to deploy wired solutions."

Tarana says that ngFWA is able to offer high-speed broadband service in both non-line-of-sight (NLoS) conditions and heavy radio interference.

The company added that its partnership with Microsoft will lower the cost of ngFWA equipment for ISPs in Africa.

“Access to affordable, secure broadband infrastructure is essential for unlocking economic opportunity through digital access across Africa,” said Vickie Robinson, general manager, energy, connectivity, and sustainability at Microsoft.

“By working with Tarana, we’re helping local operators overcome cost and deployment barriers so they can bring high-speed connectivity to the communities that need it most.”

Tarana partnered with regional US carrier UScellular to deploy FWA services to residents and businesses in West Plains, Missouri.

Basil Alwan, CEO of Tarana, added: “We admire the Airband Initiative’s mission and appreciate this opportunity to collaborate. We look forward to making significant progress on the digital divide together.”

Microsoft launched its Airband initiative in 2017 with a mission to bridge rural broadband gaps. Initially focused on the United States and utilizing TV white space, the initiative has since grown in both geographical and technology scope, targeting Africa and Latin America via fiber, fixed wireless, satellite, and other technologies.