Orange Madagascar has signed a ten-year Network-as-a-Service (NAAS) deal that will see infrastructure provider AMN Group deploy a minimum of 500 rural base stations across the country.
The agreement will allow Orange to provide 2G and 3G connectivity to over 1 million people in areas that have previously received no coverage. In additional to the socio-economic and educational boost provided by this access, the agreement will also expand financial inclusion via Orange Money. Deployment has already commenced, with many of the sites expected to be functional by year-end.
Orange Madagascar CEO Frederic Debord said that the agreement demonstrated Orange’s ongoing strategy of investing in rural infrastructure to boost connectivity in underserved areas, supporting the government’s initiative to close the digital gap.
Last month, Orange signed another NAAS deal with Canadian infrastructure provider NuRAN Wireless. The agreement similarly was for the delivery of around 500 sites aimed at providing 2G and 3G connectivity in rural areas – although it specifically focused on Madagascar’s east coast.
