NuRAN Wireless and MTN Benin Partner to Expand Rural Connectivity Across West Africa

NuRAN Wireless Inc., a leading supplier of mobile and broadband wireless infrastructure solutions, has announced an agreement for up to 200 sites with MTN Benin for the deployment of rural 2G, 3G and 4G sites under the Network-as-a-Service (“NaaS”) business model in Benin, West Africa.

The 5-year agreement with MTN Benin now places NuRAN in 8 countries throughout Sub-Saharan Africa with NaaS agreements signed. The contract includes a renewal for an additional 5 years at the end of the initial term. This agreement has been signed under the MTN Framework Agreement announced on July 21, 2022, serving as further evidence of the strong partnership between MTN and NuRAN both dedicated to empowering lives in rural communities across Africa.

The project is expected to support 2G, 3G and 4G with a variety of site categories to cover different population densities and coverage areas. NuRAN expects to retain ownership of the infrastructure after completion of the contract which increases the overall value of the agreement.

NuRAN now has a total of 5,092 sites under-contract with multiple mobile network operators (MNO’s), now surpassing more than 50% of its goal of 10,000 sites within five years of the NaaS framework being launched. This milestone not only showcases NuRAN’s ability to execute large-scale deployments but also underscores its commitment to bridging connectivity gaps in remote and underserved areas.

Management also announced that the initial US$ 2.5M drawdown from the Facility for Energy Inclusion (“FEI”) has been received. As a result of this NuRAN is resuming its rollout plan. While the majority of the amount will be dedicated to Cameroon, NuRAN expects to dedicate a portion to initiate site builds in the Ivory Coast, Benin and Madagascar as well as to deliver sites already in inventory in South Sudan.