Airtel Congo plans private network for Congo oil and gas operation

Operator Airtel Congo has announced the signing of a strategic partnership with Wing Wah, a private oil company under Congolese law and a subsidiary of the Chinese Southernpec group, for the deployment of a private telecom network at the country’s Banga Kayo oil site.

The site is in the department of Kouilou, an area covering the country’s coastline.

This five-year contract is more than just an important support to oil and gas operations in the area; the private telecom network is said to be the first of its kind in Congo-Brazzaville. It will be designed and implemented by Airtel Congo to meet the specific needs of Wing Wah in its operations.

Agence Ecofin says it will strengthen the connectivity, security and efficiency of on-site activities, while laying the foundation for a robust and sustainable digital infrastructure. That, however, is all the information that has been offered so far. It’s likely, for instance, to be a 4G network as 5G rollout is still in its early stages in the country, but this has not been confirmed.

However, the Wing Wah project is certainly a big one. It was described last year by the African Energy Chamber, an energy advocacy group, as a US$2 billion integrated energy project to bolster resource monetisation in the Republic of the Congo and said to be part of the country’s goal to increasing hydrocarbon production to 500,000 barrels per day.

According to the African Business news service, the Banga Kayo project has an oil production component, but also focuses on monetising flared gas by converting it into LNG, butane and propane, contributing to both energy security and economic diversification.