NuRAN Wireless has secured a contract with MTN Benin to deploy up to 200 rural 2G, 3G, and 4G sites under a Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) model in West Africa. This five-year agreement enhances NuRAN's footprint in Sub-Saharan Africa, bringing its total to eight countries with NaaS partnerships, NuRAN said on Tuesday.
Also Read: NuRAN Wireless Secures USD 5 Million Loan Facility to Expand African Operations
Contract Overview
The contract, which includes a potential five-year renewal, is part of the MTN Framework Agreement established in July 2022. NuRAN aims to address connectivity gaps across varying population densities while retaining ownership of the infrastructure post-completion, thereby increasing the agreement's overall value.
Funding and Future Plans
With this new deal, NuRAN now has over 5,092 sites under contract with multiple mobile network operators (MNOs), surpassing 50 percent of its goal of reaching 10,000 sites within five years of launching the NaaS framework.
Additionally, the company has received an initial drawdown of USD 2.5 million from the Facility for Energy Inclusion (FEI), enabling it to resume its rollout plan.
While the majority of the funds will be dedicated to Cameroon, NuRAN expects to allocate a portion to initiate site builds in the Ivory Coast, Benin, and Madagascar, as well as fulfil inventory sites in South Sudan.
Also Read: NuRAN Secures NaaS Agreement With MTN Group for 250 Sites in Africa
MTN Benin
MTN serves more than 280 million customers in 21 markets. MTN Benin offers telecommunications products and services in Benin, Africa, and is the first established mobile network in the region.
