Taoglas helps Bboxx overcome cellular coverage issues in rural communities
Taoglas teams up with Bboxx to support on the development of ‘Plug and Play’ Solar Home System, designed for the rural off-grid customers
Bboxx addresses a significant global issue: energy poverty and the lack of access to essential products and services in rural African communities. Over 759 million people worldwide lack access to electricity, of which 570 million are in Africa.
Bboxx’s bPower50 was born out of the urgent need to combat energy poverty. This sustainable and affordable ‘Plug and Play’ Solar Home System, is designed for the rural off-grid customers.
Once connected, the system is ready to power lights, radios and TVs as well as charge phones for households and microbusinesses. Each unit is SMART and connects remotely to Bboxx’s central database to support automatic switch on/off, enabling proactive maintenance and remote firmware updates.
The Challenge
Cellular connectivity can significantly enhance rural communities’ quality of life. Although significant progress has been made in expanding cellular coverage across rural communities in recent years, gaps still exist. In areas with substantial connectivity challenges, a quality, high-performing antenna solution plays a crucial role in overcoming cellular coverage issues by enhancing signal strength, extending coverage range, and ensuring connection to the network.
Bboxx required a high-efficiency cellular antenna solution that ensured consistent and reliable connectivity. They also required a cost-effective solution that could rapidly scale to meet the diverse energy needs across the developing world to align with its commitment to providing affordable solutions to consumers.
The Solution
Bboxx turned to its trusted antenna partner, Taoglas, for antenna and RF engineering integration, testing and design services, alongside customer support, which was crucial to getting their solution to market on time the first time.
Leveraging Taoglas’ expertise, they chose the Havok PCS.06.A, a low-profile SMD LTE/cellular 4G/3G/2G embedded antenna designed for direct SMD mount on a device PCB. It provides high efficiency in a tiny factor of 42*10*3mm. Its rectangular shape and small size make it easy to integrate – packaged in tape and reel. Additionally, the ease of integration makes it an ideal choice for lower-cost LTE/cellular applications.
The Havok PCS.06.A enables Bboxx to connect and send data over the GSM network, allowing them to control customer usage and switch devices on/off.
The Outcome
“Collaborating with Taoglas was a great experience! They provided us with world-leading antenna and RF expertise and were easy to collaborate with. Their support significantly contributed to addressing technical challenges and optimizing our solution, ensuring the success of our project.”
“Taoglas provided us with cutting-edge connectivity solutions and technical support, which perfectly aligned with the needs of the development of Pulse 2.0. Their Engineering team’s contribution to mitigating connectivity risks and ensuring reliable communication was invaluable.”
“This collaboration has been crucial in our mission to transform lives and unlock potential across Africa by providing innovative and reliable products.” – Christopher Baker-Brian, Co-founder & CTO, Bboxx
Supplementary Information
- Product Information: Havok PCS.06.A,
- Bboxx website: www.bboxx.com