MTN Group and Airtel Africa have entered into a strategic network sharing agreement in Nigeria and Uganda, a move set to enhance network coverage, cost efficiency, and service quality for their combined 145.22 million subscribers across both countries.
The telecom giants confirmed that the partnership is fully compliant with local regulatory and statutory requirements. The deal aims to expand network reach, especially in remote and underserved areas, while reducing infrastructure duplication and optimizing operational costs.
“We continue to see strong structural demand for digital and financial services across our markets,” said Ralph Mupita, President and CEO of MTN Group. “This agreement allows us to leverage existing infrastructure more efficiently, helping us deliver quality connectivity and drive Africa’s digital transformation.”
The collaboration is expected to accelerate broadband access, support digital inclusion, and contribute to the long-term sustainability of telecom infrastructure across Africa.
Both MTN and Airtel emphasized that this type of collaboration represents a forward-thinking model for mobile network expansion—especially in economically and geographically challenging environments.
Sunil Taldar, Airtel Africa CEO stated, “As we compete fiercely in the market on the strength of our brand, services and our offerings we are building common infrastructure, within 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.”
According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), sharing mobile infrastructure is an alternative that lowers the cost of network deployment, especially in rural areas or marginal markets. MTN and Airtel are joining a global trend with Orange and Vodafone agreeing to share infrastructure in the United Kingdom and in Spain recently.