NuRAN Wireless, a leading supplier of mobile and broadband wireless infrastructure solutions, has announced a five-year network-as-a-service (NaaS) agreement with pan-African service provider MTN for the deployment of 250 sites in Africa under the NaaS business model.
This comes two years after NuRAN’s signing (on 21 July 2022) of a Group Framework Agreement (GFA) with MTN Group for the deployment of rural sites under the NaaS business model in the Middle East and Africa and is NuRAN’s fifth agreement signed with MTN, totalling 2,150 sites in five different countries. The latest deal represents an estimated US$27 million in revenues over the course of five years, assuming all 250 sites are completed.
NuRAN adds that the five-year term of the NaaS deal pursuant to the GFA can be extended or renewed for an additional five years subject to an extension or renewal agreement.
Fees for the NaaS services provided by NuRAN under the agreements are paid on a revenue-sharing basis.
The projects are expected to support 2G and 3G with a variety of site categories to cover different population densities and coverage areas. NuRAN says that, with its affordable and innovative scalable solutions of 2G, 3G and 4G technologies, it offers a new possibility for more than one billion people to communicate effectively over long distances efficiently and affordably.
NuRAN expects to retain ownership of the infrastructure after completion of the contract, which increases the overall value of the agreement.
Welcoming the contract, Francis Letourneau, CEO of NuRAN, says: “With the addition of these 250 sites NuRAN now has a total of 4,892 sites under contract, and we are rapidly progressing towards our goal of reaching 10,000 sites within the next five years. NuRAN is proud to lead the way in our mission to provide essential mobile connectivity in a cost-effective, profitable, and environmentally friendly manner.”
The company intends to fund the deployment of the sites through asset-based project financing or similar debt-oriented facilities with a view to carrying out its deployments in the most efficient manner.
