MTN Group, Africa’s largest mobile network operator, is intensifying its investment in digital infrastructure as it targets connecting between 40-million and 50-million households across the continent by 2030.
Speaking at the telecoms giant’s Capital Markets Day, MTN digital infrastructure chief Mazen Mroué said the plan forms part of the group’s Vision 2030 strategy and signals a major shift from traditional telecoms to a fully integrated digital infrastructure platform.
He said the three-pillar model involving fibre networks, data centres and tower infrastructure, was designed to meet rapidly growing demand driven by artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing and data consumption.
MTN is accelerating fibre rollout through its infrastructure arm, Bayobab, which is responsible for building and managing the group’s fibre assets.
“Through this platform, MTN continues to reinforce its leadership in digital infrastructure solutions by harnessing the full potential of its fixed infrastructure assets and communication platforms across Africa,” said Mroué.
The group already has access to 24 subsea cables with direct investment in six systems and operates more than 61 points of presence across the network.
This is supported by a terrestrial fibre footprint exceeding 140 000 kilometres, which the company plans to expand by more than three times, alongside total subsea capacity of around 40 terabits per second, which it expects to double over time.
Africa’s fibre penetration remains poor as most cables stop at coastal landing points and fail to reach inland communities. Despite over 1.3 million kilometres of fibre laid, fewer than one-third of Africans have broadband access, with affordability and last‑mile connectivity being the biggest barriers.
Mroué said the scale of the opportunity was underpinned by the shocking infrastructure gap on the continent. Africa holds only about 0.02% of global fibre
infrastructure.
The group is transferring fibre infrastructure from its operating businesses into standalone FibreCo entities to improve efficiency, attract investment and speed up deployment. “Through an integrated FibreCo and AI-enabled data centre strategy, we are building the backbone of Africa’s digital transformation and future, scaling into the largest provider of wholesale connectivity in Africa.
“Given the current industry demand and future expected AI-driven demand, MTN is developing a strategy to capture the related economic benefits and ensure Africa is not left behind.”
Beyond fibre, the company is positioning itself as a key player in the continent’s data centre market, which is projected to grow between 3.5 times and 5.5 times by 2030.
MTN plans to develop greenfield data centres with an initial capacity of 80 megawatts to 150 megawatts, supported by joint venture investments of between $1-billion and $2-billion.
The infrastructure strategy is further supported by a vast tower network of approximately 30 000 sites, with the potential to unlock additional value through multi-tenancy and operational efficiencies, the company said.
Demand for this infrastructure is already substantial. MTN’s has 300 million customers on the continent that it aims to tap into, while partnerships with hyperscalers, cloud providers and AI firms are expected to drive further growth.
Financially, the group expects its digital infrastructure business to deliver revenue growth of 7% to 10% annually, with earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation margins of between 50% and 55% as utilisation increases and third-party revenues expand.
The group is also expanding cross-border connectivity through its East2West route project, which aims to strengthen links between key African markets.
This is expected to improve network resilience and reduce the cost of data transmission.
MTN is also upgrading its international roaming systems, increasing activations and enhancing data analytics capabilities to better manage rising traffic volumes driven by smartphone adoption and digital services.
“As the world evolves with speed to adopt AI, our strategy will position the continent to benefit from the technology’s productivity, efficiency and related entertainment-enabling benefits,” said Mroué.
This as the company has also ventured into a digital streaming platform, MTN One TV, which is aimed at bringing local and international content to make video content more accessible, relevant, and flexible for customers across diverse African markets.
- MTN Group aims to connect 40-50 million African households by 2030 through a Vision 2030 strategy focused on expanding digital infrastructure via fibre networks, data centres, and tower infrastructure.
- The company is accelerating fibre rollout through its Bayobab infrastructure arm, plans to triple its terrestrial fibre footprint, and double subsea capacity, addressing Africa’s poor fibre penetration and infrastructure gap.
- MTN is establishing standalone FibreCo entities to improve efficiency and attract investment, while planning greenfield data centres with 80-150 MW capacity backed by $1-2 billion joint ventures to capture growing AI and cloud demand.
- The infrastructure strategy includes leveraging a vast tower network of 30,000 sites and enhancing cross-border connectivity via the East2West route to boost network resilience and reduce data transmission costs.
- Financially, MTN expects digital infrastructure revenue growth of 7-10% annually with EBITDA margins of 50-55%, supported by 300 million customers, partnerships with hyperscalers, and new ventures like MTN One TV streaming platform.
