24 December 2025

Yogan Naidoo, Vice President, Aircom

Operators across Africa face a blend of challenges that shift dramatically from one region to the next. Many must balance limited power infrastructure, constrained backhaul, fragmented spectrum, and relatively low ARPU levels. At the same time, they must prepare for surging urban data demands, emerging technologies and political priorities that evolve as quickly as the markets they serve. Planning and operating networks here is less about following global templates and more about designing systems that can withstand the continent’s unique and often unpredictable conditions.

The geography problem

Africa’s varied topography is an ever-present factor in network design. Dense cities behave differently from sparsely populated rural areas; mining regions demand high-reliability communications; deserts and rainforests present their own extremes. Terrain shadows complicate microwave backhaul, long distances stretch budgets, and heavy tropical rains introduce significant fade during the wet season.

Power supply is one of the most persistent constraints. Unreliable grids force many sites onto diesel generators, which are costly to operate and maintain. Theft and fuel logistics add further complications. Meanwhile, fibre backhaul remains concentrated along economic corridors, pushing semi-rural and rural sites onto long microwave hops that can struggle with line-of-sight or environmental interference.

Regulation adds another layer of complexity. Spectrum is sometimes fragmented, and approvals for new sites can take time. Smaller operators may prioritise low-cost voice services, while larger ones push toward data-centric expansion. All of this takes place in markets where average revenue per user is significantly lower than in mature economies, meaning each network investment must stretch further and deliver more.

Making spectrum work smarter, not harder

While rural challenges revolve around reach, cities face a different problem: handling concentrated demand. Urban areas grow and shift with the daily movements of millions of people, and networks must follow these patterns precisely.

A reliable coverage layer comes first. Low-frequency bands are essential because they travel farther, penetrate buildings and create a consistent baseline experience. Modernising networks by refarming 2G and 3G spectrum into more efficient 4G and 5G layers is becoming increasingly important, freeing up valuable low-band resources to support today’s data demands.

Capacity is the main priority. Mid-band spectrum forms the backbone of urban capacity, while small cells absorb peak usage without requiring intrusive new towers. Good spectrum hygiene is equally important. Interference management and clean frequency planning routinely deliver substantial improvements in busy cities, often matching the impact of new hardware in improving user experience.

In Africa’s cities, spectrum behaves like a fluid resource whose value shifts continuously. Most operators treat spectrum and capacity dynamically, redirecting capacity toward growth areas and adapting their grid as people and patterns change.

Introducing 5G, IoT and AI

Africa’s adoption of new mobile technologies is guided by pragmatism rather than hype. Operators are integrating 5G, IoT and AI selectively, focusing on areas where each technology generates tangible value.

5G tends to appear first in places with clear economic returns: central business districts, industrial parks, special economic zones and fixed wireless access corridors. These deployments prioritise performance for enterprises, logistics and high-density neighbourhoods rather than attempting nationwide coverage.

IoT is gaining traction through concrete use cases: connected agriculture, utility metering, logistics tracking and early smart-city applications. Many of these run effectively on LTE or NB-IoT, making broad adoption feasible without heavy investment in new spectrum.

AI increasingly underpins network operations. It automates routine processes, predicts performance issues, and assists teams in managing interference and RAN optimisation. In a continent where engineering resources can be stretched thin, AI is becoming a quiet but powerful enabler of stable, high-quality networks.

Connecting the unconnected

Bringing connectivity to underserved regions requires a model built around affordability and resilience. Rural coverage is most effective when designed with high-gain antennas, cost-efficient macro layers and power systems that can operate independently of the grid. Shared infrastructure and neutral-host backhaul reduce both capital and operational costs, helping networks expand sustainably.

Extending service to communities often involves flexible access models. Fixed wireless solutions can connect homes and small businesses, while community Wi-Fi provides connectivity to schools, clinics and gathering points. Data-driven rollout strategies help determine which settlements to prioritise and how to maximise social impact.

Partnerships across the ecosystem play a significant role. Collaborations between operators, financial institutions, technology partners and development agencies are increasingly central to connecting remote regions and ensuring long-term service viability.

A continent that rewards ingenuity

Africa’s mobile networks are born of necessity, creativity and constant adaptation. The continent’s unique mix of environmental, economic and regulatory challenges forces operators to innovate continuously. Yet this same complexity is what makes Africa one of the most exciting regions for telecoms, with some of the most resilient solutions anywhere in the world.

As demand grows, Africa isn’t merely following global trends — it’s shaping them. The future of connectivity across the continent will be built through ingenuity, persistence and a deep understanding of the communities it serves.