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(Kitco News) - Canadians living in rural, underserved areas could soon have better cell phone coverage thanks to blockchain technology and Karrier One, the creator of the “first carrier-grade decentralized mobile network that connects smartphones and users seamlessly and anonymously using the Karrier One blockchain.”
According to the press release, Karrier One has announced the closing of its first round of financing, which will allow the company to build out its services over the next three years. The firm also successfully connected satellites to 10 terrestrial 4G nodes and “future-proofed” its system to bring “5G services to rural Canada that enable iPhones to communicate entirely off the grid of incumbent telecom infrastructure.”
“This is disruptive technology at its finest and sure to shake up the Canadian and Global telecom market,” said Samer Bishay, Karrier One Co-Founder and CEO. “We will soon offer wireless connections to millions worldwide in under-served areas, including Indigenous Canadians. Just as Uber changed the taxi industry, we aim to do the same with our partners in the telecom industry.”
Karrier One is the only network of its kind to power Micro Networks or Mobile Independent Network Operators agnostic of any frequency or spectrum limitations, the announcement said.
The first phase of the build-out will include deploying infrastructure to business partners and underserved areas across Canada, “including Indigenous communities which own sovereign land rights, but without the ability to monetize the air rights on the spectrum above their lands.”
“As every Canadian customer knows, the lack of real competition within Canada’s telecom industry translates into unreasonably high rates, poor or throttled service, lethargic problem resolution as exemplified by Rogers national outage in July 2022, and, quite frankly, often abysmal customer service,” Bishay said.
After getting established in Canada, Karrier One then plans to expand its services to the U.S., Kenya, and other countries, with a focus on underserved areas where the network will have the greatest impact.
The Karrier One blockchain employs a system where select users – also known as Mobile Independent Network Operators (MINOs) – become gatekeepers by owning and operating professional radio equipment and nodes called Gateways they can order as a kit through an online portal.
By employing a “freemium service” pricing model, which includes the integration of crypto tokens, customers and businesses will be able to pay a fraction of the standard connectivity rates they are typically used to. “For example, the blockchain is ideal for mining companies in underserved areas compared to traditional telcos,” the announcement said.
Revenues are divided “fairly and transparently” among the contributing parties, which includes the network, the gatekeepers, and the radio spectrum providers. Operators have the option to be full or partial tenants of the physical infrastructure.
By utilizing a decentralized structure that operates using blockchain technology, Karrier One “allows operators to maintain 99.999% true uptime, unlike other traditional telecom infrastructure,” the release said.
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To help expand the network, gatekeepers will be incentivized to create hot spots on their properties with technology equipment and antennas that send out small amounts of data using radio frequencies. Earning potential is dictated by the amount of traffic each hot spot receives.
“Our goal is to decentralize wireless infrastructure and democratize mobile network access by creating a new type of telecommunications layer,” said Bishay. “As blockchain expands throughout the telecom world, wireless customers, particularly those in Canada, should experience better services at lower prices as blockchain technology breaks down monopoly barriers and unjustified higher premiums currently made possible in Canada by a lack of competition.”
To help make the project a reality, Karrier One has partnered with competitive local exchange carriers that have infrastructure across North America, multiple satellite operators with frequencies issued by Innovation, the Science and Economic Development Canada, the Federal Communications Commission, and carrier-grade hardware vendors.
