Canadian infrastructure company NuRAN Wireless has announced plans to deploy 200 sites in Benin, West Africa.
NuRAN will deploy the sites, which will cover 2G, 3G, and 4G, for carrier MTN Benin in rural parts of the country.
NuRAN noted that it signed a five-year Network as a Service (NaaS) agreement to deploy the sites for MTN.
The deal means that the company has similar agreements in eight Sub-Saharan African nations.
It said the deal includes the option for an additional five years at the end of the initial term.
The agreement has been signed under the MTN Framework Agreement announced on July 21, 2022, aimed at strengthening NuRAN's presence across Africa.
NuRAN has a total of 5,092 sites under contract with multiple telcos across its portfolio. The company is aiming to deploy 10,000 sites within five years of the NaaS framework being launched.
Earlier this month, NuRAN announced that it had closed on a $5 million loan facility with the Facility for Energy Inclusion, a fund managed by Cygnum Capital. The initial drawdown was $2.5m which has been received. NuRAN is currently finalizing its rollout plan.
It noted that although the majority of this sum will be "dedicated to Cameroon, NuRAN expects to dedicate a portion to initiate site builds in the Ivory Coast, Benin and Madagascar as well as to deliver sites already in inventory in South Sudan."
