Africa Mobile Networks

Africa Mobile Networks (AMN) operates as a telecommunications infrastructure provider focused on extending mobile network coverage to rural and unconnected areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Founded in May 2013 by Michael Darcy, an engineer with over three decades of experience in mobile and satellite communications, the company aims to bridge the continent's digital divide. Darcy's career, which includes designing satellite payloads for companies like Inmarsat and serving as General Manager for Hughes in Europe, provided him with the expertise to tackle the challenges of rural connectivity in Africa. He is joined by a team that includes individuals he has worked with for nearly 30 years, sharing a vision to connect remote places.

AMN's core business revolves around a Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) model, serving major Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) like MTN, Orange, and Vodafone. This model addresses the economic unfeasibility for MNOs to invest their own capital in low-population-density areas. AMN funds, builds, owns, operates, and maintains the mobile network base stations, effectively eliminating capital expenditure and operational risk for its MNO partners. The company uses highly optimized, low-cost technology, such as small-cell solutions and solar-powered towers, to make serving communities as small as 500 people economically sustainable. In 2020, AMN acquired US-based Range Networks to develop its own in-house Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment, capable of delivering 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G services from a single node.

Revenue generation is based on two primary commercial structures offered to MNOs. The first is a revenue-share model, where AMN assumes all operational risk and receives a percentage of the revenue generated by each site. This guarantees that the MNO partner incurs no losses. The second is a fixed-fee (OpEx) model, where the MNO pays a monthly fee per site, allowing the operator to retain all revenue and upside from high-traffic locations. This turnkey solution delivers traffic directly into the MNO's existing core network. To enhance its service, AMN leverages satellite backhaul from partners like Intelsat and SpaceX's Starlink to connect its towers. Since its first site deployment in 2014, the company has grown significantly, achieving positive EBITDA and cash flow in the first quarter of 2020. As of early 2023, AMN operated over 3,300 sites across 13 countries, with ambitions to expand to 10,000 towers by 2025. The company has secured substantial funding from investors including British International Investment, Proparco, and a consortium led by Metier.

Keywords: rural connectivity, Network-as-a-Service (NaaS), telecommunications infrastructure, mobile network operators (MNOs), Sub-Saharan Africa, tower company, satellite backhaul, rural electrification, turnkey network solutions, 2G/3G/4G/5G services, mobile base stations, digital divide, CAPEX-free network expansion, OPEX model, revenue-share model, small cells, OpenRAN, Intelsat partnership, Starlink partnership, connecting the unconnected