We’re in the middle of YC’s W17 batch. As companies launch they’ll be doing a Q&A on Hacker News – aka Launch HN – in addition to being included in a roundup on the blog. Here are the companies that have recently launched.

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Wifi.com.ng

What does your company do?
Wifi.com.ng is the uncapped ISP for Africa.

How does it work?
Wifi.com.ng builds out solar powered base stations that customers get installed in their homes or business. 80% of new customers get a Wifi.com.ng account by calling and then are given a date for installation. Customers pay a setup cost as well as a monthly subscription.

What is the primary problem you are solving and why has no one solved it before?
One of the top 3 infrastructure challenges in Africa is internet connectivity (the other 2 are electricity and healthcare).

Wifi.com.ng is competing with the local Telcos which cap the data the customers use, and Wifi.com.ng is the only company that is offering uncapped internet access. Uncapped internet access is not something the telecoms are focusing on.

Who are your customers?
Lagos is the most populous city in Nigeria and Wifi.com.ng currently has coverage of 30% of the entire city. Lagos is where the majority of Wifi.com.ng customers are.

Why did you decide to start Wifi.com.ng?
Founders are friends since college. Looked into doing video on demand in Africa, but saw that Internet connectivity was a big issue, especially because of capped data. So they realized the biggest opportunity was to build an uncapped data ISP.