Who are Vodacom Mozambique
Vodacom Mozambique is one of the country’s largest mobile network operators, holding nationwide spectrum licenses and decades of operational experience. Yet more than 60% of Mozambicans still lack mobile internet, most of them in rural and hard-to-reach areas.
Vodacom Mozambique: https://www.vodacom.co.mz/
What they do and mission
Vodacom and World Mobile are working together to prove a new way of delivering coverage in places that have been left out for too long.
In late 2023, they launched a live aerostat trial in Massingir, a rural village in southern Mozambique. The aerostat is a helium balloon tethered to the ground and fitted with telecom radios. From about 300 meters up, it beams 3G and 4G mobile signal across a radius of up to 130 kilometers. That reach can connect communities where traditional towers would be too expensive or take years to build.
Vodacom provides licensed spectrum, regulatory clearance, and in-country operational support. World Mobile supplies the aerostat hardware, the network model, and the software that links it into a wider system.
The trial also measures real-world impact, tracking how new connectivity changes daily life for schools, clinics, small businesses, and households.
How they work with World Mobile
The World Mobile Chain logs usage data from the aerostat on-chain. This creates a transparent record of performance and makes it possible to reward local partners who help keep the service running.
The platform also supports AI-driven coverage adjustments, tested in Zanzibar, that respond to changes in demand, weather, or network load. This is built into the Mozambique trial to help deliver consistent, efficient service.
By combining Vodacom’s scale and spectrum access with World Mobile’s flexible, community-powered model, the partnership is testing a faster, more affordable way to expand coverage.
Impact on World Mobile Chain and connectivity in Africa
The Mozambique aerostat trial is a proof point for how decentralized infrastructure (DePin) can work alongside major telecom operators to reach places that have been left offline for decades.
If scaled, aerostats could cut the cost and time needed to extend mobile coverage across rural Africa. A single unit can cover hundreds of square kilometers, reducing the need for multiple towers and long build times.
For World Mobile, every connected user, every minute of airtime, and every data packet moves through a transparent, blockchain-based system. That means real usage data, on-chain rewards for participants, and a network that can grow through community involvement.
For communities, the benefits arrive quickly:
- Affordable mobile signal in areas with no previous coverage
- New opportunities for schools, clinics, and small businesses
- A pathway for local partners to share in the network’s value
This trial is a first step toward a model that could be replicated across the continent, and in other parts of the world facing the same challenges.