Airtel Africa has unveiled a landmark partnership with Nokia to deploy a high-capacity terrestrial fibre optic network across East and Central Africa—a transformative initiative designed to meet the continent’s surging demand for digital connectivity. Announced at the 28th AfricaCom event in Cape Town, the collaboration between Airtel’s wholesale fibre arm, Telesonic, and global technology leader Nokia marks a major leap forward in building Africa’s next-generation digital infrastructure. This Airtel Africa Nokia fibre network will serve as a critical enabler of economic growth, digital inclusion, and regional integration.
The new network aims to create a robust digital highway that connects multiple countries, linking submarine cable systems like 2Africa with inland terrestrial infrastructure. By doing so, it addresses a persistent challenge: ensuring landlocked nations can access high-speed international bandwidth with reliability and low latency. With mobile-first internet users increasingly relying on connectivity for education, healthcare, financial services, and e-commerce, this upgrade is not just technological—it’s societal.
At the heart of the deployment is Nokia’s advanced 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) platform, powered by its high-speed coherent Photonic Service Engine (PSE) technology. Utilizing Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM), the network will deliver ultra-high capacity of up to 38 terabits per second (Tbps)—a level of throughput essential for supporting cloud computing, webscale applications, video streaming, and future-ready services like AI and IoT.
Spanning 139 nodes across key markets, the infrastructure will dramatically improve cross-border connectivity, reduce network congestion, and enhance resilience across East and Central Africa. For countries without direct coastal access, this means faster, more affordable internet and stronger links to global data ecosystems.
“Deploying Nokia’s 1830 Photonic Service Switch represents a key network upgrade,” said Razvan Ungureanu, Chief Technology Officer at Airtel Africa. “It will deliver high-speed, webscale-ready connectivity across Africa, paving the way for transformative growth and new opportunities.”
Prasanta Das Sarma, Managing Director of Airtel Africa Telesonic, emphasized the strategic importance of the collaboration: “Our partnership with Nokia is an essential step in developing Africa’s digital infrastructure. By utilizing Nokia’s innovative fibre solutions, we aim to meet the continent’s growing data needs. This network will drive economic growth, empower communities, and open up new opportunities for businesses and individuals.”
Launched in February 2024, Telesonic was created specifically to address the rising demand for wholesale data capacity across Africa. The timing is critical: industry projections estimate that mobile data traffic in Sub-Saharan Africa will rise from current levels to around 6 GB per user per month by 2030, driven by expanding broadband coverage, increasing smartphone adoption, and growing appetite for bandwidth-intensive content like online gaming and HD video.
This fibre rollout is also central to Airtel Africa’s broader business transformation. As traditional voice revenues plateau, the group is actively diversifying into high-growth digital sectors—including data centers, digital advertising, and enterprise connectivity. Data services already represent a major revenue driver, contributing $1.16 billion to the company’s total $2.98 billion in revenue during the first half of its 2026 fiscal year.
With the Airtel Africa Nokia fibre network, Airtel is not only future-proofing its own infrastructure but positioning itself as a foundational player in Africa’s digital economy—one that connects people, powers innovation, and enables sustainable development across borders.
As Africa accelerates toward a fully connected future, partnerships like this prove that progress isn’t just about speed—it’s about scale, reach, and shared vision.
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