NuRAN Wireless said it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with MTN Namibia for the deployment of rural and suburban sites under the network-as-a-service model in Namibia. They intend to install a minimum of 150 such sites there in the next 24 months, subject to concluding a definitive agreement with a ten-year term within six months of signing the MoU. The sites to be deployed are 2G, 4G or 2G/4G combination sites.
The agreement concern the NuRAN Revenue Share NAAS model, which facilitates network expansion for mobile operators by managing and controlling the building, operation and maintenance of cellular sites along with associated capital expenditures. The sites are then monetised by providing connectivity on a paid-for service basis. NuRAN is able to set up network operations from the ground up with an "exceptional" return on investment.
Deployments under the NAAS model require the company to make upfront investments but they generate value whereby NuRAN benefits from long-term recurring revenues. The company intends to fund such deployments mostly through asset-based project financing or similar debt-oriented facilities. Such financing options and sources are being investigated with a view to carrying out deployments in the most efficient manner.