MTN Targets 420,000km Fibre Expansion Under Ambition 2030 Strategy

At its Capital Markets Day 2026 presentation, MTN Group  set out an ambitious new infrastructure expansion plan, announcing that it intends to deploy approximately 420,000 kilometres of fibre over the next four years as part of its long-term “Ambition 2030” growth strategy. The announcement underscores MTN’s push to strengthen its digital backbone across Africa and support rising demand for data, mobile money, and enterprise connectivity services.

The fibre rollout plan forms a central pillar of MTN’s broader strategy to scale network capacity across its 19 markets, particularly as data consumption continues to accelerate. Management highlighted that while the group has already made significant progress in expanding connectivity across the continent, a large portion of its subscriber base remains in voice-only usage, pointing to substantial upside for data-driven growth. The planned fibre investment is expected to support improved network quality, faster internet speeds, and wider broadband coverage across both urban and underserved rural areas.

MTN executives described the Capital Markets Day as a key milestone in transitioning from its previous “Ambition 2025” framework to the new “Ambition 2030” roadmap. The strategy focuses on unlocking Africa’s structural growth opportunities through expanded digital infrastructure, stronger financial services ecosystems, and increased investment in technology platforms, including artificial intelligence and cloud services.

Group leadership emphasized that the fibre expansion is closely tied to MTN’s goal of converting its large subscriber base into active data users and digital service customers. With more than 300 million subscribers across the continent, the company sees fibre deployment as critical to enabling next-generation connectivity, supporting enterprise demand, and scaling mobile money and fintech services.

The announcement also comes as MTN positions itself for long-term value creation, balancing infrastructure investment with shareholder returns. The group reiterated its focus on disciplined capital allocation while pursuing growth opportunities across its markets, including Nigeria, South Africa, and key Francophone and East African operations.

Overall, the planned 420,000km fibre rollout signals one of the most aggressive infrastructure expansion programs in Africa’s telecom sector, reinforcing MTN’s ambition to deepen its role as a leading digital infrastructure provider on the continent.