Vodacom and Orange will start building and operating solar-powered mobile base stations in underserved rural areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the two companies announced on Tuesday.
The initiative aims to provide network coverage and mobile financial services to 19 million people in less densely populated regions to address connectivity challenges in rural areas.
The project involves constructing up to 2,000 solar-powered base stations over six years, starting with an initial phase of 1,000 sites.
Depending on progress, the project may expand to include an additional 1,000 towers. These stations will use 2G and 4G technologies, with the first expected to go live in 2025. Orange and Vodacom will share active and passive infrastructure owned by the joint venture as anchor tenants for a 20-year term.
The venture will also lease passive infrastructure to other mobile network operators to expand usage and provide more choices to local communities. The project is subject to approvals from regulatory and competition authorities.