Airtel Africa, MTN Group to Share Network Infrastructure in Nigeria, Uganda

The idea behind this is to cost operating costs and improve network coverage for quality mobile services to millions of customers, particularly in remote areas.

However, this would be carried out in compliance with local regulatory and statutory requirements.

The initiative is part of a growing global trend toward network sharing. By collaborating, telecoms operators can explore innovative and pro-competitive solutions to improve service quality while managing costs more effectively.

The sharing of infrastructure has the potential to enable the delivery of world-class, reliable mobile services to more and more customers across Africa.

Already, MTN and Airtel Africa are exploring various opportunities in other markets, including Congo-Brazzaville, Rwanda and Zambia.

Among the types of agreements considered are RAN sharing and those aimed at establishing commercial and technical agreements for fibre infrastructure sharing and, if necessary, the construction of fibre networks.

“As we compete fiercely in the market on the strength of our brand, services and our offerings we are building common infrastructure, within the permissible regulatory framework, to provide a more robust and extensive digital highway to drive digital and financial inclusion at the same time avoiding duplication of expensive infrastructure to drive operational efficiencies and benefits for our customers,” the chief executive of Airtel Africa, Mr Sunil Taldar, said.

His counterpart at MTN Group, Mr Ralph Mupita, while commenting on the development, said, “As MTN, we are driven by the vision of delivering digital solutions that drive Africa’s progress.

“We continue to see strong structural demand for digital and financial services across our markets. To meet this demand, we continue to invest in coverage and capacity to ensure high-quality connectivity for our customers.

“That said, there are opportunities within regulatory frameworks for sharing resources to drive higher efficiencies and improve returns.”