Orange Group Deputy CEO Brelotte Ba announced that the launch of 4G in the Central African Republic (CAR) early next year will mark the completion of Orange’s 4G rollout across its African markets. Ba confirmed that the operator plans to introduce 4G services in CAR in Q1 2025, following the recent acquisition of the nation’s first 4G license.
The initial rollout will focus on the capital city, Bangui, with plans to expand to additional cities. Orange will also upgrade its fixed wireless access (FWA) services with 4G connectivity for both individual and business customers, replacing its current “3G+” service for FWA users.
Ba confirmed that Orange will work with its established vendor partners—Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia, and ZTE—on the rollout while highlighting the urgent need for additional fiber-optic infrastructure to manage the expected rise in traffic.
The CAR remains significantly underpenetrated, with only 32% of the population (1.86 million) having a mobile connection. Limited energy infrastructure outside Bangui and political instability have contributed to this low penetration.
Despite these hurdles, Ba expressed optimism about growth potential in CAR and other underpenetrated countries, emphasizing the increasing demand for digital services across Africa, even in low-GDP nations. “Digital technology is undoubtedly a key driver of economic growth, especially in countries like Guinea-Bissau or Liberia, which face economic challenges,” he said. He added that Africa’s young, tech-savvy population will accelerate the adoption of digital technologies.
“Over the next decade, we could see the most significant growth coming from such countries. It’s a tremendous opportunity, not only in connectivity but also in mobile money,” Ba noted. He highlighted Orange’s 35 million active monthly Mobile Money users and 90 million registered customers as evidence of the potential for further expansion.
DRC Network Sharing
Ba also addressed reports of a potential network-sharing agreement between Orange and Vodacom in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He revealed that Orange is actively promoting greater network-sharing arrangements across its markets, particularly in the DRC, where the operator already collaborates with Airtel and Vodacom on some shared sites.
Given the DRC’s vast geography and the high number of mobile sites required, Ba underscored the importance of such agreements. He noted that any extension of these partnerships will be announced once finalized.