VNTS

VNTS (VNTS Company Limited, also branded The VNTS Company Limited) is a Nigerian technology products company that designs and manufactures networking hardware addressing last-mile connectivity and last-inch Wi-Fi coverage problems. Its core product line, NetPremise, uses powerline communication over a building's existing electrical cabling to carry data, removing the need for new structural data cabling. The NetPremise Data Traffic Extender (DTE) is described as an all-in-one Wi-Fi router, access point and powerline extender transmitting data at up to 200Mbps over distances up to 300 metres, with wireless and Ethernet output, and operating in Hybrid Router or Hybrid Extender modes.

The company positions NetPremise for residential coverage, corporate wired-network extension, commercial/hospitality deployments where aesthetics and minimal disruption matter, and industrial or public-infrastructure "smart infrastructure" use cases in manufacturing, government, law enforcement and the wider public sector. A second-generation device, NetPremise LTE — described as a patent-pending, AI-integrated LTE/5G router with powerline technology aimed at telecommunications operators and enterprise customers — was begun in 2017. The current website advertises a NetPremise 5G router plus extender bundle with features including 5G LTE and fibre Wi-Fi routing, PLC extension, plug-and-play setup and gigabit internet.

Founding story

VNTS was founded in 2014 on the premise that Africa is capable of manufacturing innovative products. Co-founder Henry Obinugwu conceived the idea of improving on the HomePlug Wi-Fi extender while a student in the UK, and used his Entrepreneurship Visa funds to research and modify the wireless extender, producing NetPremise. The founding rationale included reducing dependence on foreign products lacking local knowledge and affordable support.

Business model

VNTS develops product specifications in-house after field research in its consumer and enterprise target markets, and sells network devices both directly to consumers and organisations and, as a stated distribution preference, through enterprise customers such as mobile network operators and telecommunications companies that can bundle devices with subscriber data services.

Revenue comes from hardware sales, with the website also offering a device-as-a-service structure: outright device purchase (price to be determined) or monthly contracts at £25/month for device plus data, £30/month for device, data and add-ons, and £35/month for a lifetime edition. Bundles can include operator branding, home automation integration, over-the-air updates, an air-fibre 5G broadband SIM, add-ons such as antivirus, VPN and ad-blocker, and a device refresh every three years.

Traction

400 units of the first product sold as of October 2020, with repeat customers and a customer base that includes hotels, corporate organisations and domestic consumers; sales revenue was described as funding continued product development.

Latest developments

The company website advertises a forthcoming NetPremise 5G offering combining a 5G LTE and fibre Wi-Fi router with a PLC extender, sold under device-as-a-service tiers, with some pricing marked as to be determined and features listed as coming soon.