07 September 2023

Bayobab has now deployed approximately 3,000km of fibre, bringing its total proprietary fibre inventory to 108,000km - an impressive feat for MTN’s fibre subsidiary.

The company has also been granted a National Long-Distance Operator licence in Nigeria, allowing it to facilitate long-distance traffic within the country’s borders.

Reporting on Bayobab’s performance for the first half of the year, ended June, MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita said that Bayobab’s external revenue increased by 12.3% year-over-year (YoY) to $172.5 million. He added that the communication platforms segment grew 11.9% year-over-year, bolstered by a five-year messaging agreement with a global hyperscaler and a resilient performance from international voice services.

“Bayobab partnered with global mobile networks to launch over 5,700 roaming services and expand its footprint,” said Mupita.

In six months, the fixed connectivity segment of Bayobab’s business increased external revenue by 15.2% year-over-year, aided by new fixed connectivity infrastructure contracts worth $8.4 million.

Earlier this year, Bayobab signed a $320 million agreement with Africa50 to develop Project East2West, a terrestrial fibre optic cable network. The project is due to connect 10 African countries to the cable network by 2025.

“Africa’s connectivity relies on strategic and global partnerships coming together to build the much-needed large-scale backbone infrastructure to meet the explosive demand for digital services,” said Bayobab CEO Frédéric Schepens in a statement following the results.