Vodacom, Orange partner to expand rural network coverage in DRC

Pan-African mobile operators Vodacom and Orange have announced a rural "towerco" partnership in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with the aim of providing better network coverage for rural areas.

Through the partnership, the companies will collaborate to build, own and operate solar-powered mobile basestations in underserved areas of the central African nation.

In a joint statement Orange and Vodacom said that the initiative was a first of its kind and will extend network coverage and enable access to telecommunications and mobile financial services to up to 19 million people in less densely populated rural communities.

"Deploying and operating networks, particularly in deep rural areas, continues to be a significant challenge in the DRC," the telcos said.

To help bridge the digital divide in underserved communities, the companies have pledged to jointly construct up to 2,000 new solar-powered basestations over six years, using 2G and 4G technologies.

The agreement begins with an initial commitment of 1,000 sites after which Orange and Vodacom may scale up the project with a further 1,000 towers.

The operators, however, said that the completion of the joint venture remains subject to the approval of administrative, regulatory and competition authorities. 

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Beyond enhanced population coverage, this combined investment will enable consumers to access voice, data and mobile money services, the operators claimed.

Infrastructure sharing

With the first basestation expected to start operating in 2025, Orange and Vodacom will be sharing active and passive equipment owned by the joint venture as anchor tenants for an initial term of 20 years. 

The joint venture will also offer its passive infrastructure to any other mobile network operator (MNO) interested, wherever technically feasible, to increase usage and promote a wider range of options for the population.

"Our longstanding presence in Africa, including over ten years in the DRC, has equipped us with a deep understanding of the market and customer needs. Collaborating with Vodacom by sharing both passive and active infrastructure is the most effective approach to fulfilling our commitment to accelerating connectivity access for everyone, including rural areas, while minimizing our environmental footprint," said Orange Middle East and Africa CEO, Jérôme Hénique.

Orange and Vodacom have pledged to jointly construct up to 2,000 new solar-powered basestations in the DRC over six years, enabled with 2G and 4G. (Source: Orange and Vodacom)

Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub said that the partnership with Orange is a crucial step towards providing mobile coverage to people in previously underserved areas in the DRC.  

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"With a footprint serving over 210 million customers across Africa, we have the opportunity to significantly contribute to the continent's socio-economic development by building a digital society and fostering inclusivity for all," added Joosub.   

DRC's digital transformation vision

According to the operators, mobile Internet penetration in the DRC is sitting at just 32.3% and the construction of new basestations in the country aligns with the country's vision for an increasingly digital economy as included in the DRC's National Digital Plan - Horizon 2025, adopted in 2019.

The plan aims to foster digital transformation across various sectors, leading to improved public services, enhanced economic growth and equitable access to digital services for all citizens.

This initiative emphasizes e-citizenship, e-government and e-commerce and is expected to contribute to job creation, bridge the digital divide and boost the country's GDP.

Orange and Vodacom's operations in the DRC  

Orange's subsidiary in the DRC, better known as Orange RDC, has been operating in the country for nearly 12 years and has over 15 million subscribers across the country, with more than 3,400 sites, over 90% of which are 4G-enabled. 

Vodacom Congo has been in operation for more than 21 years and at the end of September 2024 Vodacom had almost 22.5 million mobile users in the DRC. It has been expanding its fully solar-powered rural connectivity sites since 2013.

In the DRC there are also two other operators – Airtel, which had around 17 million mobile users at the end of September 2024, and Africell, which had about 3.6 million users – according to statistics from market research company Omdia.

Paris-headquartered Orange is present in 18 countries in Africa and the Middle East and had 160 million customers at the end of September 2024.

Johannesburg-headquartered Vodacom Group has over 210 million customers – across the consumer and enterprise segments – operating under the Vodacom brand in DRC, Lesotho, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa, as Vodafone in Egypt and as Safaricom in Kenya and Ethiopia.

Orange offers financial services via Orange Money and Vodacom operates financial services brands M-Pesa, VodaPay and Vodafone Cash.