AMN Ltd signs NaaS Agreement with Orange Madagascar to build a minimum of 500 rural base stations

MILTON KEYNES, England, March 2, 2023 — AMN is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with Orange Madagascar to expand rural coverage and connect the unconnected. AMN and Orange Madagascar plan to build a minimum of 500 rural base stations, and AMN has secured all funding to fulfil this agreement.

The new 500 sites will allow more than one million Malagasy people to communicate effectively over long distances without having to travel in urban areas, while giving them access to all the services offered by the Orange network, including the financial services offered by Orange Money.

Orange Madagascar is accelerating its goal of connecting people in rural areas as part of its ambition to become the leading digital service provider in Madagascar, while developing financial inclusion.

AMN currently operates over 700 sites for Orange in DRC and Cameroon, and is delighted to grow the existing relationship to include Orange Madagascar.

AMN Ltd builds, owns, operates and maintains mobile network infrastructure, delivering services for Tier 1 Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in Africa. AMN’s Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) model allows tier-1 MNOs to expand their network coverage deep into rural areas, with no capex investment and no opex risk. AMN understands the challenges all operator’s face and has significant experience in expanding coverage where operators would otherwise be unable to do so.

“Orange Madagascar is continuing its investments in its network infrastructure to better cover rural areas, in line with the government’s project to open up rural areas in Madagascar. This partnership will allow Orange Madagascar to offer as many people as possible access to its telephone network, and aims to bring mobile phone services to Malagasy people who were previously excluded from digital technology. These 500 sites are in addition to the 500 sites that are being deployed with another partner of Orange Madagascar” explains Frédéric Debord, CEO of Orange Madagascar.

AMN operates more than 3,000 base stations in 12 countries and has signed a NaaS agreement with Orange Madagascar. Each site will be connected to the Orange network for a minimum term of 10 years, providing 2G and 3G services to at least 500 previously unconnected communities to bring social, economic and educational benefits to the population. AMN expects to bring the first sites on air within 2023.

“The vision of AMN is simple – no community of any significant size without basic telecommunication services. We are delighted to add Orange Madagascar to our growing network, and will utilise our experience in rolling out quickly and efficiently to positively impact those living in rural communities within Madagascar. Our unique business model means that we can profitably connect rural and ultra-rural communities and this is key to ensuring sustainable development of mobile services. We are excited to build on our longstanding relationship with Orange to expand their coverage deep into rural Madagascar.”

AMN has recently secured funding to reach a total of ca. 7000 base stations and expects to reach approximately 4,500 sites on air by the end of 2023.

AMN is an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of the AMN Radio Node (ARN). The ARN is a software defined radio, capable of providing 2G, 3G and 4G services from a single node, optimised for satellite backhaul to deliver services in even the most remote of locations.