In many parts of Africa, industries still face crippling gaps in WiFi connectivity. Vast mining operations, ports, construction projects, and energy facilities often extend far beyond the reach of fibre or LTE networks.
They are also too expansive for traditional meshed Wi-Fi to be cost-effective, and latency is a big issue – especially for real-time machine operation. This leaves businesses struggling to maintain reliable communication and operational oversight.
A new generation of long-range wireless access technology – Super WiFi – is changing that. Designed for industrial-scale, outdoor environments, Super WiFi extends coverage up to ten times further than conventional Wi-Fi, providing robust connectivity across wide, complex sites.
“Many heavy industrial NEC XON customers struggle with traditional Wi-Fi due to range, latency, and interference,” explains Willem Wentzel, senior architect at NEC XON. “Now we can offer them Super WiFi, which overcomes those barriers. It’s built with intelligent antenna technology and advanced radio algorithms that mitigate noise and extend coverage, delivering high throughput and low latency. In ideal circumstances this extends across multiple kilometres but for more real world environments we find the effective range is 900m to 1,3km.
“Unlike LTE, which requires costly licensed spectrum and agreements with mobile operators, Super WiFi operates in unlicensed bands – making it faster to deploy and more cost-effective for private industrial use. Each base station can cover hundreds of metres to several kilometres, connecting customer premises equipment (CPE) units across mining pits, port terminals, or remote field offices,” says Bernadette George, NEC XON presales: 4G, 5G & oRAN ecosystem connect and access.
Beyond its range, the technology offers industrial-grade resilience. The latest models feature 8×8 MIMO smart antennas, dual-band operation at 2.4GHz, 5GHz and lower 6GHz, and rugged IP67-rated enclosures for outdoor or hazardous conditions. Explosion-proof variants are also available for oil and gas environments.
Super WiFi’s architecture supports centralised cloud management, enabling configuration, analytics, and proactive maintenance. This allows operators to integrate connectivity with other critical services – from CCTV and analytics to cybersecurity and managed network operations – creating a single, unified view of site performance and safety.
Early deployments abroad have already shown tangible results. In Senegal, Super WiFi reduced the number of required access sites by 90% in a citywide rollout, winning the “Connecting West Africa” award. Similar success has been recorded at industrial terminals in Malaysia and large warehouses in Mexico and India.
According to Wentzel, the technology’s simplicity is part of its strength. “It’s easy to install, requires far fewer access points than traditional networks, and integrates cleanly into existing infrastructure. The result is lower total cost of ownership and better operational continuity – especially in sectors where downtime isn’t an option.”
Super WiFi is now being positioned for deployment across African industries where coverage, mobility, and reliability are critical – from mining and ports to utilities, construction, and banking. As Wentzel puts it: “Super Wi-Fi is not just about better connectivity. It’s about enabling safer, more efficient, and more intelligent operations across Africa’s most challenging environments.”