Cape Town. Airtel Africa, one of the continent’s foremost providers of telecommunications and mobile money services, has announced a major partnership with Nokia to construct a vast, high-capacity terrestrial fibre network across East and Central Africa.
The network will power Airtel Africa Telesonic’s next-generation fibre services, marking a significant step in strengthening Africa’s digital backbone.
Revealed at the 28th edition of AfricaCom, the continent’s largest gathering of connectivity and technology leaders, the project will link the new 2Africa subsea cable to inland fibre routes, enhancing cross-border connectivity and expanding access to affordable, reliable internet services.
By integrating submarine cable systems with terrestrial infrastructure, Airtel Africa aims to accelerate digital inclusion, support economic growth and improve quality of life for millions across its 14 operating markets.
Nokia’s state-of-the-art 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) platform lies at the centre of this build, offering capacity of up to 38 Terabits per second (Tbps) and C+L Band readiness to support future expansion.
The Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) network—powered by Nokia’s coherent Photonic Service Engine (PSE) technology—will span 139 nodes across several countries, enabling ultrafast data transfer and delivering the robust infrastructure required for cloud services, enterprise solutions and the growing demand for wholesale data traffic.
The investment reinforces Airtel Africa Telesonic’s commitment to strengthening the continent’s digital capabilities across key sectors, including business, education and healthcare.
Razvan Ungureanu, Airtel Africa’s Chief Technology Officer, said the adoption of Nokia’s PSS platform represents a major upgrade to the company’s infrastructure: “This will allow us to provide greater capacity and high-speed connectivity to efficiently manage web-scale traffic.
With Nokia’s Photonic Service Engine driving our DWDM network, we are laying the foundation for transformative growth across Africa.”
PD Sarma, Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Africa Telesonic, echoed this sentiment, describing the collaboration as a “significant milestone” in meeting Africa’s rising data demands. “By deploying Nokia’s advanced fibre solutions, we aim to empower communities, stimulate economic activity and open new opportunities for businesses and individuals across the continent.”
Samer Lutfi, Nokia’s Head of Growth Group for Network Infrastructure in the Middle East and Africa, said the company is proud to support a project of such scale and impact.
“Our high-capacity, reliable DWDM technology is designed to drive digital transformation. This initiative reflects our shared commitment to connecting communities and enabling sustainable progress across Africa.”
