Airtel Madagascar and Nokia Launch First Fully Off-Grid Rural Connect Sites to Bridge Digital Divide

Airtel Madagascar,  in partnership with Nokia,  has launched the country’s first fully off-grid Rural Connect sites, marking a major milestone in extending mobile connectivity to underserved communities.

Leveraging Nokia’s innovative Rural Connect solution, which combines AirScale Radio Access, Nokia renewable power systems, and lean civil structures—these sites enable Airtel Madagascar to deliver reliable, high-quality coverage in remote areas where connectivity was previously impossible.

This initiative reinforces Airtel Madagascar’s commitment to bridging the digital divide and fulfilling its universal service obligations, while advancing Nokia’s strategic focus on connecting the unconnected through sustainable, energy-efficient solutions across Africa.

Bridging the digital divide through innovation and sustainability

According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), 2.6 billion people worldwide remain without internet access, with 1.8 billion living in rural areas. These figures highlight both the urgency and opportunity to close the connectivity gap. Studies by the World Bank show that a 10% increase in broadband penetration can boost GDP by up to 2.5% in developing economies, while GSMA research estimates that closing the mobile internet usage gap could add $700 billion to global GDP by 2030.

Nokia’s award-winning Rural Connect solution directly addresses these challenges by delivering cost-optimized, sustainable connectivity for rural and low-density areas.

The solution:

• Reuses refurbished RAN hardware, supporting circular-economy principles.
• Integrates renewable power sources, enabling fully off-grid operation via solar or hybrid solar-wind systems.
• Supports flexible backhaul, including microwave, UE relay, and LEO satellite, ensuring performance even in the most remote terrains.

Leadership comments

“Our collaboration with Nokia marks a transformative step forward in ensuring that no community is left behind in Madagascar’s digital journey. By expanding coverage to rural areas, we are not only fulfilling regulatory obligations but opening new doors to education, healthcare, and economic opportunity for thousands of people.”

– Anne Catherine Tchokonte Tcholagheu, CEO, Airtel Madagascar

“Working with Airtel Madagascar to deliver our Rural Connect sites exemplifies how innovation and sustainability go hand in hand. Through Rural Connect, we provide operators with a scalable, energy-efficient, and affordable solution to extend connectivity to the hardest-to-reach communities.”

– Mustapha Salah, Head of Mobile Networks for Central, East & West Africa, Nokia

Proven impact across Africa

Nokia’s Rural Connect deployments in Ethiopia, Egypt, Cameroon, and Mali have already demonstrated measurable impact.
In one rural Cameroonian community, mobile usage increased fivefold within two weeks of site activation—giving residents their first access to education, healthcare, digital commerce, and government services.

Sustainability and digital inclusion at the core

Nokia’s Rural Connect initiative embodies the company’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategy by ensuring that the positive societal impact of technology outweighs its environmental footprint.
Through such initiatives, Nokia continues to connect the unconnected and empower the connected with secure, sustainable, and high-performance networks that drive inclusive digital growth across Africa.