(Ecofin Agency) - Canadian telecom infrastructure provider NuRAN Wireless is seeking to bolster its presence in Africa, aiming to have 10,000 telecom sites under contract in the coming years. Having recently secured an operating license in Cameroon, the company is now in the process of acquiring a similar license in Madagascar.

On Thursday, November 16, NuRAN Wireless announced that its local subsidiary has applied for a network infrastructure license in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

This new resource will enable the company to broaden its business model beyond Network as a Service (NaaS), through which it provides services to multiple mobile network operators at individual sites. The new operating license also includes the addition of satellite telecom services (VSAT).

The application for the operating license in the DRC "follows a Ministerial Decree published on October 10 2023 which simplifies the obligations of holders of the license, specifically related to ownership requirements." The company had previously announced on October 17 that it obtained a category 1 license in Cameroon. In September, it initiated the process with the Regulatory Authority for Technology (ARTEC) in Madagascar to obtain an operating license in the country.

"Even if not considered essential to run its business as per the confirmation received in June from the Democratic Republic of the Congo telecommunications regulator ''Agence de Regulation des Postes et Télécommunications Congolaise (ARPTC)'', the above-mentioned license will satisfy EIB's expectations in DRC which has already been satisfied in Cameroon," stated NuRAN Wireless.

It's worth noting that NuRAN currently operates 4,642 contracted telecom sites across seven African countries, intending to reach 10,000 telecom sites. In the DRC, the company committed in February 2021 to build and operate 2,000 telecom towers for Orange, enabling the expansion of network coverage in rural areas. In December 2022, it partnered with Trans Africa Towers to construct 500 telecom towers over three years in the country.