Telecom company NuRAN Wireless, has recently disclosed its entry into a NaaS agreement with Orange Madagascar to deploy up to 500 rural networking telecommunications sites under the NaaS business model in the east coast of Madagascar.
The agreement was signed on Monday, 23 January 2023, at a virtual ceremony with the attendance of Frederic Debord, CEO at Orange Madagascar, Francis Letourneau, CEO at NuRAN Wireless and with the presence of Mr Tahina Razafindramalo, Minister of Digital Development, Digital Transformation, Posts and Telecommunications of Madagascar.
Frédéric Debord, CEO of Orange Madagascar, said, “We are incredibly pleased to add Madagascar to our growing portfolio of African countries. We are also thankful to Orange for this third contract as we continue to build and grow this strong relationship with them. With the addition of these 500 sites, we have reached 4,642 sites under contract in less than two years from receiving our first NaaS contract. We are approaching 50 per cent of our goal of 10,000 sites under contract within five years. NuRAN is proud to be at the forefront of our mission to bring essential mobile connectivity to those that need it most in a cost-effective, profitable and environmentally friendly manner.”
Also commenting, Francis Letourneau, CEO of NuRAN, said, “The 10-year agreement with Orange Madagascar is the Company’s third contract with Orange with over US$90 million in potential gross revenue at an approximate rate of US$1,500 per site per month with an estimated gross margin of 70 per cent. The estimated gross revenues are subject to, among other things, associated project expenses, including expenses related to satellite bandwidth, site lease, network operations centre expenses, curative and preventative maintenance fees, project management and monitoring fees, the Company completing all financing necessary for the build-out of the sites and insurance and collection of applicable fees from network operators.
Fees for the NaaS services provided by NuRAN under the agreement are paid on a revenue-sharing basis. The project is expected to support 2G and 3G networks with various site categories to cover different population densities and coverage areas. NuRAN wishes to retain the ownership of the infrastructure after the completion, which increases the agreement’s overall value.”
