Facebook is actually working to improve its wireless internet network in Tanzania. Launched in 2017, in Arusha (a town in the Northeast), the service baptized “Express Wi-Fi” was deployed in partnership with the internet service provider Habari Node to provide access to about 2,600 people. However, this company failed to satisfy the American company’s geographical coverage requirements.

Vish Ponnampalam, Wireless Systems Engineer at Facebook, said the technology innovation they have been working on since 2017 are being installed to resolve this coverage issue. They will allow many Wi-Fi hotspots to connect, share data and transport network without physical connection. A large number of people will therefore be able to use Facebook services.

“The team working on these solutions has grown to include engineers in the U.S, Europe and Israel. In Boston, our team has been developing software that simplifies network management for operators and enables them to deploy mesh Wi-Fi networks. Teams in Menlo Park, California have been developing a new routing framework optimized for large scale WiFi mesh networks, with up to 50 or potentially even more access points, using fewer backhaul connections. And teams in Israel, Ireland and Dubai have been working with partners to plan and deploy Express Wi-Fi”, Vish Ponnampalam wrote in a Facebook post.

The technology deployed by Facebook in Tanzania should also improve the quality of wireless internet hotspots it set in Nigeria and Kenya.