News - MTN GlobalConnect rolls out over 2 000km of new fibre

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MTN GlobalConnect rolls out over 2 000km of new fibre

Source By Samuel Mugadze
1 year ago

MTN GlobalConnect (MTN GC) rolled out over 2 000 km of new fibre in the first quarter of this year, bringing its total inventory of proprietary fibre to over 107 000km.

This, as the company is scaling MTN Group’s fibre ambitions to meet the growing demand for international connectivity.

MTN GC, an MTN Group operating company, is a digital wholesale and infrastructure services firm, with presence in Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Zambia and Kenya.

The company reported its first quarter 2023 performance yesterday, saying it grew external revenue by 17% year-on-year to US$83.6 million, with mobility revenue up by 15.5%.

According MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita, in the period, MTN GC signed fixed connectivity infrastructure deals valued at US$2.8 million.

“The performance of the fixed connectivity segment was driven by the introduction of Internet Protocol Transit (IPT) international gateways in South Africa and Nigeria, as well as the launch of the IPT product, Looking Glass Portal,” said Mupita.

He continued: “To meet the growing demand for international connectivity in our markets, in line with our plans, MTN GC Kenya and Zambia made noteworthy progress through digital connectivity initiatives.

“External wholesale mobility revenues grew by 15.5% year-on-year in Q1, backed by a five-year messaging deal with a global hyperscaler, increased mission-critical SMSes processed on the platform to authenticate mobile users and resilient performance from international voice, delivered against a negative global trend.”

In the period, MTN GC, led by CEO Frédéric Schepens, also partnered with key global mobile networks and opened 1.200 new services to make international roaming ‘more affordable for MTN’s subscribers’ across Africa.

In addition, during the quarter, MTN GC attained MEF 3.0 Carrier Ethernet services certification, which Mupita said ensures that “our digital connectivity solutions adhere to the highest industry standards and deliver best-in-class connectivity solutions to drive network transformation to power the African digital economy.”