- Canada’s NuRAN Wireless, a leading supplier of mobile and broadband wireless infrastructure solutions, recently announced that it has entered into a Network as a Service (NAAS) contract with Orange DRC, a subsidiary of Orange in the Democratic Republic Of the Congo.
- Under the agreement, NuRAN construct and operate 2000 new towers over the next 40 months throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- The deployment will concentrate on rural communities with populations around 5,000.
The towers fall into one of four categories depending on population density and coverage requirements. NuRAN’s technology, which won the GSMA Connected Society Innovation Fund for Rural Connectivity in 2020, uses a carrier-grade GSM base station powered by solar as part of a small-footprint (3 meters x 3 meters x 15 meters tall) remote tower.
The contract has a minimum term of 10 years for each site built by the Company. Each site consists of the installation by NuRAN and its partners of its Networking equipment as well as antennas, cabling, solar power systems, towers and related installation services.
Francis Letourneau, CEO of NuRAN said “This contract is in line with our strategy to expand the NAAS business model across Africa. This is our second significant contract in Africa and with Orange after having already previously announced our agreement with Orange Cameroon SA.”
Author: Bryan Groenendaal