MTN Nigeria and Airtel Nigeria are to share infrastructure in the local telecoms market following a landmark infrastructure deal entered into by their parent companies.
South Africa’s MTN Group, owners of MTN Nigeria, and Airtel Africa, owners of Airtel Nigeria, today announced that they have entered into agreements to share network infrastructure in Uganda and Nigeria, “while ensuring compliance with local regulatory and statutory requirements,” according to Ralph Mupita, MTN Group President and Chief Executive Officer.
In Nigeria, the duo of MTN Nigeria and Airtel Nigeria are the two leading telecoms companies accounting for 87,549,410 active phone lines (51.79%), and 57,665,796 (34.11%) respectively out of the industry’s official subscriber count of 169,318,076, as of January 2025.
On his part, Sunil Taldar, Airtel Africa CEO state that “as we compete fiercely in the market on the strength of our brand, services and our offerings we are building common infrastructure, with in 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.”
MTN Group says the deal seeks to to extend digital and financial inclusion across Africa.
These sharing agreements, Mupita says, “target improved network cost efficiencies, expanded coverage and the provision of enhanced mobile services to millions of customers, particularly those in remote and rural areas who do not yet fully enjoy the benefits of a modern connected life.”
According to Mupita, “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.”
On his part, Sunil Taldar, Airtel Africa CEO state that “as we compete fiercely in the market on the strength of our brand, services and our offerings we are building common infrastructure, with in 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.”
Both telcos say that 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.
Airtel Africa has also announced its infrastructure sharing agreement with MTN Group, stating that “the sharing of infrastructure has the potential to enable the delivery of world-class, reliable mobile services to more and more customers across Africa.”
“Following the conclusion of agreements in Uganda and Nigeria,” Mupita says, 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.”
MTN Group and Airtel Africa say that they “are dedicated to working with other mobile operators within the countries in which they have a presence to achieve the advantages of network sharing. Throughout this process, the parties will continue to function as independent market entities and will compete freely in shared markets. This engagement does not preclude the parties from collaborating with other operators in any respective market.”
Africa’s mobile internet penetration lags behind global averages, according to a 2024 GSMA report, “Mobile internet penetration in Sub-Saharan Africa reached 27% by the end of 2023, yet a substantial usage gap of 60% remains.”
“This gap represents millions who live within network coverage but face barriers such as device affordability, digital skills deficits, and concerns around online security,” GSMA says.
MTN and Airtel, two of Africa’s largest telecoms firms, serving over 291 million and 163.1 million customers, respectively, say that the partnership will not affect market competition.
MTN and Airtel are considering expanding agreements to include fiber network construction. “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,” the statement says.
Airtel Africa, owned by Bharti Airtel of India, which also announced the pact today, says that throughout the process, “the parties will continue to function as independent market entities and will compete freely in shared markets.”
Airtel says the deal “is part of a growing global trend toward network sharing. The sharing of infrastructure has the potential to enable the delivery of world-class, reliable mobile services to more and more customers across Africa. Following the conclusion of agreements in Uganda and Nigeria, MTN and Airtel Africa are exploring various opportunities in other markets, including the Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Zambia.”
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