Transforming industrial links with Super Wi-Fi

NEC XON, a leading African ICT solutions integrator and subsidiary of Japan’s NEC Corporation, has introduced Super Wi-Fi, an advanced long-range wireless technology built specifically for industrial and large-scale outdoor applications

Across Africa, industries continue to struggle with Wi-Fi connectivity gaps. From expansive mining operations and ports to major construction sites and remote energy facilities, many of these locations extend far beyond the reach of fibre or LTE networks.

Traditional meshed Wi-Fi systems often prove too expensive and inefficient to cover vast industrial areas, while latency issues hinder real-time machine operation and monitoring. Super Wi-Fi addresses these issues by providing coverage up to ten times greater than conventional Wi-Fi, ensuring robust, low-latency connectivity even in complex, remote environments.

Solving traditional connectivity barriers

“Many heavy industrial NEC XON customers struggle with traditional Wi-Fi due to range, latency, and interference,” explained Willem Wentzel, senior architect at NEC XON. “Now we can offer them Super Wi-Fi, 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 Wi-Fi 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,” added Bernadette George, NEC XON presales: 4G, 5G and oRAN Ecosystem Connect and Access.

The technology also features 8×8 MIMO smart antennas, dual-band operation across 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and lower 6 GHz, and rugged IP67-rated enclosures, with explosion-proof variants available for oil and gas environments. Through centralised cloud management, Super Wi-Fi supports configuration, analytics, and proactive maintenance, integrating seamlessly with critical services such as CCTV, cybersecurity, and analytics to provide a unified view of site operations and safety.

Proven global deployments

Super Wi-Fi has already demonstrated its potential globally. In Senegal, the technology reduced required access sites by 90% in a citywide deployment, earning the “Connecting West Africa” award. It has also proven successful across industrial terminals in Malaysia and large warehouses in Mexico and India.

According to Wentzel, simplicity and scalability are key advantages. “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.”

Now rolling out across African industries, from mining and ports to utilities, construction, and banking, Super Wi-Fi is set to redefine connectivity for industrial operations. As Wentzel concluded, “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.”