NuRAN Wireless, a rural communications business, has inked a ten-year agreement with MTN Group to install at least 250 stations throughout rural South Sudan.
According to the terms of the agreement, NuRAN will install the sites over the next two years, with the first 50 sites utilizing MTN-owned towers to guarantee a quick start. The infrastructure will be run on a network-as-a-service (NAAS) architecture, with income split using the BOOT (build, own, operate, and transfer) model.
Surveys on MTN’s sites have already begun, with NuRAN collaborating on the deployment with local business Tandem Solution. According to CommsUpdate, the arrangement in its current form generates around CAD57 million (US$44.5 million) in revenue, however it will be feasible to roll out additional sites and utilize terrestrial backhaul networks to increase capacity, hence improving ARPU and total income.
“At MTN, we think that everyone deserves a connected life, thus our objective is to deliver the connection to these remote sections,” Diatile Zondo, CFO of MTN South Sudan, stated. We hope that this is the start of a long-term collaboration with NuRAN.”
