Clear Blue Technologies International said on November 11 it secured a C$1.5 million order from iSat Africa for its Micro off‑grid power systems, supporting telecom rollouts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Liberia, and Zambia.
The company added that the repeat award will help launch iSat’s Energy‑as‑a‑Service offering for remote telecom sites. Shipments are scheduled across the next two quarters. The announcement extends a multi‑year commercial relationship between the Toronto firm and the Africa‑focused network operator.
EaaS model targets remote rollouts
At the centre of iSat’s plan is a subscription‑style approach that bundles power hardware, remote management, and component replacement into a predictable service fee, reducing upfront capital and field maintenance risks for rural sites.
Clear Blue describes Energy‑as‑a‑Service as a subscription‑based service that leverages its Illumience cloud platform for monitoring, analytics, and proactive interventions. The new award also builds on a 2022 memorandum of understanding that sets an initial framework for deployments across multiple countries.
“We are now increasing our investments and roll out targets,” said Rakesh Kukreja, iSat Africa’s chief executive. The tie‑up aligns the commercial incentives around uptime and coverage expansion in hard‑to‑serve locations.
Shipments over the next two quarters
Clear Blue said the order will ship in stages through the next two quarters, with potential for follow‑on contracts in 2026. The systems will power additional operational sites under iSat’s network expansion, and are designed for rapid deployment without grid access. Execution will depend on site readiness, logistics, and integration with iSat’s network‑as‑a‑service model.
“iSat has been successful in developing a network‑as‑a‑service model that is scalable and profitable,” said Miriam Tuerk, Clear Blue’s co‑founder and chief executive. The phased schedule, if met, would convert the order into installed base before mid‑2026.
Balance sheet adds delivery capacity
The operational update follows Clear Blue’s April 9 completion of a balance sheet restructuring that aimed to improve financial flexibility through new royalty financing, a small term loan, and a share consolidation. Management framed the move as positioning the company to pursue growth with less balance sheet friction. Against that backdrop, the iSat purchase order is a near‑term test of execution on manufacturing, shipping, and in‑field service at scale.
The structure of iSat’s EaaS model shifts lifetime cost and performance accountability toward service delivery, which can favour operators with remote monitoring and predictive maintenance capabilities. For policymakers and infrastructure financiers, the deal underscores how service‑based procurement is gaining ground in off‑grid telecom power.