MTN, Airtel to share network infrastructure in Nigeria, Uganda

MTN Group and Airtel Africa have forged a network infrastructure-sharing agreement in Nigeria and Uganda, a strategic pivot aimed at accelerating mobile connectivity in underserved regions.

The telecom giants said in a statement on Wednesday that the partnership reflects a growing shift towards cost optimisation and aims to enhance mobile services, particularly in remote and rural areas where many still lack access to the benefits of modern connected life.

Among the types of agreements considered are Radio Access Network sharing and those focused on establishing commercial and technical agreements for fibre infrastructure sharing, which may include the construction of new fibre networks where necessary.

MTN Group President and Chief Executive Officer, Ralph Mupita, said operators on the continent were seeing sustained demand for data services.

He said, “At MTN, we are driven by the vision of delivering digital solutions that drive Africa’s progress and will 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.”

MTN and Airtel, which control 51.79 per cent and 34.11 per cent of Nigeria’s telecom market, respectively, have both faced significant foreign exchange losses due to the naira’s depreciation.