Airtel, Vodacom, Team Up To Share Fibre Infrastructure In Three African Countries

Telecom giants Vodacom and Airtel Africa have announced an infrastructure-sharing agreement that is set to improve connectivity in three of Africa’s key markets: Mozambique, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The deal is still subject to regulatory approvals in each country, but if approved, it will set a precedent for future collaborations in the African telecom sector.

This strategic partnership will see the two competitors jointly leverage existing fibre networks and tower infrastructure to accelerate the rollout of high-speed digital services and reduce the costs associated with building and maintaining duplicate networks. By pooling resources, the companies aim to extend coverage to underserved rural communities, where the high costs of infrastructure deployment have traditionally been a barrier.

According to a joint statement released on August 12, 2025, the collaboration is focused on enhancing network performance, delivering faster internet speeds, and improving overall service reliability for their customers in these markets.

“Providing connectivity to empower people is at the core of our strategy,” said Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub. “Our partnership with Airtel Africa is a proactive step forward in creating a sustainable, inclusive, and connected digital future for the continent.” He added that the agreement will help Vodacom move closer to its ambition of connecting 260 million customers by 2030.

Airtel Africa’s CEO, Sunil Taldar, echoed this sentiment, saying, “Even as competitors, it has become a business necessity for us to collaborate in the provision of critical infrastructure.” He highlighted that sharing resources would enable faster deployment of fibre, a key enabler for the expansion of 4G and 5G networks.

Airtel Africa, a subsidiary of India’s Bharti Airtel, and South Africa’s Vodacom, are not the first global communications entities to explore similar collaborations; Kenya’s Safaricom has previously expressed interest in using U.S-based Starlink’s satellite connectivity to reach underserved rural communities in Kenya, where there is often difficulty accessing fibre networks.

Featured Image Courtesy Vodacom