Smile Telecoms which owns and operates 4G LTE broadband networks in the 800MHz band in Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda, has raised USD 365 million through an equity sale to fund its network and services. As part of the plan, Smile will also launch its broadband network in the Democratic Republic of Congo early next year.
Mauritius-based Smile Telecoms said that the funding will be used to accelerate national network roll-out which includes the deployment of equipment and services provided by Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson, a full MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) network, a London point of presence and expanded international backhaul services, as well as to fund operational expenditure and working capital.
In 2012, the company launched Africa’s first 4G LTE commercial network in the 800MHz band (ITU ‘band 20’) in the East African market, starting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and then Kampala, Uganda. This was followed by the launch of West Africa’s first 4G LTE commercial networks, also in band 20, starting in Ibadan and then Lagos, Nigeria.
Image by Oasisk. (Own work.) [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC BY 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons
