Orange Group Deputy CEO Brelotte Ba (pictured) said the upcoming launch of 4G in the Central African Republic (CAR) next year will complete the 4G rollout across Orange’s African footprint, stating it will be deployed early next year.
Ba revealed to Developing Telecoms that the operator expects to launch 4G in the CAR in Q1 2025, after securing the nation’s first 4G licence earlier this month.
He explained that the initial deployment will occur in the capital city of Bangui, with rollouts in other cities to follow. Orange will immediately enhance its fixed wireless access (FWA) offering with 4G connectivity for both B2C and B2B customers. Currently, the company provides its so-called “3G+” service to FWA subscribers.
Ba stated that Orange will collaborate with its usual vendor partners—Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia, and ZTE—to deploy sites for the rollout. However, he emphasised the need for more fibre-optic cables to support the anticipated increase in traffic.
The CAR is significantly underpenetrated, with only 32% of the population (1.86 million) having a mobile connection, according to DataReportal. Key reasons for the low penetration include a lack of energy infrastructure outside Bangui and political instability.
Despite these challenges, Ba sees significant potential for growth in the CAR and other similarly underpenetrated countries. He noted that digital services and their demand are growing across Africa, even in nations with low GDP.
“Look at other countries like Guinea-Bissau or Liberia, even though they face economic challenges. Digital is definitely one of the key pillars driving growth across the economy. I think we’ll see significant penetration of digital services everywhere, especially given the young population [of Africa]. Young people are highly digitally savvy and will clearly adapt to these technologies,” said Ba.
“Perhaps over the next 10 years, the biggest growth will come from these kinds of countries. It’s really a massive opportunity for us—not only from connectivity but also from mobile money.”
Ba noted that Orange currently has 35 million active monthly Mobile Money customers and 90 million registered users, highlighting ample room for growth.
DRC network share
Orange and Vodacom have reportedly been seeking a network-sharing agreement in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to address deployment challenges in the country.
Ba said Orange is advocating for more network sharing across its markets, “especially in the DRC,” where it already shares some sites with rivals Airtel and Vodacom. He pointed out that the country’s vast landmass requires a significant number of mobile sites.
Ba added that any expansions of existing agreements with market rivals will be “communicated in due time” if they are finalised.
