Africa and the Middle East

1

Why our markets, why now

With young, fast-growing populations and only about half of people currently connected by mobile, Africa and the Middle East are set for a decade-plus of digital expansion. Millions more users are projected to come online in the next five years - driving demand for reliable, shared infrastructure.

Our Africa and the Middle East markets at a glance
80+ m
increase in connections in the next 5 years
8/10
people born in the next century will be in Africa & the Middle East Data

What’s driving demand?

  • Demographics & urbanisation: Large, youthful populations and rising GDP will keep data demand climbing across our footprint. 
  • Technology upgrades: 4G and 5G adoption is accelerating (e.g., Senegal’s 4G/5G share is forecast to rise from 51% to 76% by 2030; Ghana to 64%). Networks will densify and move indoors, requiring more points of service. 
  • Power and terrain challenges: Limited grid availability and complex geographies make operational reliability a differentiator - one we’re built for.
25

Our proprietary GIS technology

As the leading independent tower company in seven of our nine markets, we’re a scale partner for operators. We can add capacity fast by leasing up on our ~15,000-site platform - typically connecting new colocations in under 24 hours - and we build-to-suit where our GIS shows proven demand, handling permitting, power, security and maintenance end-to-end.

Our 99.99% power uptime and power-as-a-service model improves network quality while letting MNOs focus capex on active technology. And because sites are shared, rollouts are lower cost and lower carbon, accelerating coverage and densification across our footprint.

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The densification decade

Shifting up the technology curve

Over the last cycle, 3G surpassed 2G across our markets; the next phase is about 4G densification and early 5G, with parts of MENA (incl. GCC) already at 75%+ 5G population coverage. That’s why neutral-host sites, in-building solutions and small cells matter more than ever.

Technology mix across our nine markets(4)

Socioeconomic link

Advancing up the technology curve remains critical: broader 4G/5G adoption is consistently linked to higher digital inclusion and socioeconomic development.