Socio-economic development goes hand in hand with connectivity, yet millions of consumers in Africa and the Middle East are still excluded from digital services. Although 520 million people in Africa can access mobile services, they remain unconnected to fixed broadband. That’s why Orange is working to extend its broadband footprint across the region. Here’s how.
Expanding fixed and broadband networks
Orange invests more than €1 billion each year in high-performance fixed and mobile networks in Africa and the Middle East. With sustained growth in network coverage, the Group aims to offer reliable and accessible connectivity to all, while controlling its energy consumption and carbon footprint. We’re continuing to deploy 4G, targeting an average coverage rate of 85% by 2025, while strengthening our infrastructure to deliver fiber optics, our second growth engine, to ever more African households.
Fixed broadband in key figures:
- 3.3 million customers in the region at the end of 2023 (+27% compared to 2021)
- €125 million invested in fixed networks by 2025 to:
- connect an additional 800,000 households to fiber
- reach a total of 1.3 million fiber customers in the region
- between €100 and €200 million invested to develop pan-African infrastructure (Djoliba, see below), with up to 10,000 kilometers of terrestrial fiber network and submarine cables serving as our network backbone on the continent
Launch of 5G and Orange 5G Labs
We have successfully launched 5G in several African countries, paving the way for an era of faster and more innovative connectivity. With this in mind, we continue to optimize its network quality by widening fixed wireless access (FWA) along with ongoing 4G network expansion. Orange in Africa and the Middle East is also developing commercial applications in certain B2B verticals to serve key industries such as ports, mining, oil and gas, and the Internet of Things. Orange 5G Labs works with local partners to explore and test 5G use cases, boosting the potential for innovation and development.
5G and 5G Labs in Africa in key figures:
- a 5G Non-Standalone network in 3 countries (Botswana, Jordan, and Senegal)
- by 2026, 50% of smartphone sales will be 5G compatible across the continent and the Middle East
- 5 Orange 5G Labs operational in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Jordan, Madagascar, and Tunisia
Connectivity in rural areas
We have launched a range of network coverage initiatives to overcome specific challenges in remote and rural areas, where 70 million people are still without internet access. In addition to the deployments already in place, Orange in Africa and the Middle East will deploy a further 15,000 rural sites over the next three years.
Rural connectivity in key figures:
- 2,000 rural sites already deployed with our partners (notably AMN, Nuran, and Huawei)
- objective: to deploy 15,000 sites in 3 years, integrating 4G to provide further data services
- 100% of rural sites powered by solar energy
Infrastructure investments
OMEA’s international connectivity has increased almost 7-fold in the last five years as we continue to invest in deploying next-generation networks, which are essential to provide high-quality connectivity and digital services to as many people as possible. Initiatives such as the 2Africa submarine cable and the Djoliba network in West Africa strengthen the Group’s position as a leading digital partner in the region. 2Africa will enable Orange to provide secure bandwidth to more regions from the first quarter of 2025 and the Djoliba network extends services to businesses and telecommunications players in West Africa, along with as many as 330 million consumers.
As a telecoms partner in Africa and the Middle East, Orange is fully committed to connecting the unconnected and boosting digital inclusion in these regions. Through continued investments in networks and infrastructure, and by developing a multi-service approach (Orange. Money, e-education, e-health, etc.), the Group actively contributes to socio-economic development, improving people’s quality of life and enabling a more inclusive digital future for all.
Djoliba in key figures:
- coverage in 8 countries: Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria and Senegal
- 16 points of presence and nearly 155 technical sites
- 10,000 km of terrestrial fiber optic network, coupled with 10,000 km of submarine cable
- very high-speed offers (up to 100 Gbit/s)
- 99.99% availability rate
- 300 points of presence connected in Europe, America, and Asia