November 9, 2022
Cape Town, November 8, 2022
Press release
The Orange Côte d’Ivoire Group and Vanu, Inc. announce a partnership to provide connectivity in rural areas in Côte d’Ivoire and to Orange Côte d’Ivoire Group’s subsidiaries in Burkina Faso and Liberia
Orange and Vanu will deploy an innovative model that will allow for a ‘win-win’ partnering for both companies by sharing mutual opportunities. They will be using the latest mobile technology to accelerate the development of digital projects in healthcare, agriculture, education and financial services, among others. This will help to improve the overall Orange customer experience, and Vanu, with its expertise will facilitate the rollout of sites in uncovered areas of Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Liberia.
The project will begin with 1,070 sites, of which 700 will be in Côte d’Ivoire, 170 in Burkina Faso, and 200 in Liberia. The partnership between Orange and Vanu will provide technology upgrades and will be based on the innovative model of ”Network-as-a-Service” (NaaS).
Orange Côte d’Ivoire Group, a Mobile Network Operator with a long-term and sustainable commitment to the different countries in which it operates, saw a need to change its investment model for deployment in remote areas, for a more efficient model. With its subsidiaries in Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia and Burkina Faso, the quality of life of rural populations will be improved and inequalities reduced, thanks to the provision of digital services for all (voice communications, Internet, Energy, etc.).
Nafy Coulibaly, the Deputy Director General in charge of operations in Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Liberia, says: “In order to provide digital services for all, Orange will deploy its services by strategically improving/increasing its network coverage so that no one will be left behind. This will be achieved by ensuring that we provide, to as many people as possible, free and unfettered access to digital services everywhere. Orange welcomes this partnership, which will offer digital services to millions of uncovered people in rural areas in Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Liberia.”
Andrew Beard, CEO of Vanu, noted: “Vanu is pleased to provide technology and expertise in support of Orange’s coverage goals and our team looks forward to rolling out network sites across regions where extended connectivity will have an enormous and immediate impact for the uncovered population.”
Execution of this project will be done in accordance with environmental standards, which is a major priority for Orange Group. This partnership aligns with Orange’s IDEAL program, aiming to extend coverage to 20 million rural inhabitants through the construction of 5000 sites within four years.
About Orange Cote d’Ivoire
The Orange Cote d’Ivoire Group is a regional cluster made up of subsidiaries in Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Liberia, with +27 million customers these markets. For more than 10 years, Orange CI has been driving innovation in the Ivorian telecom sector: the first operator to launch very high-speed networks (3G, 4G, Fiber), Mobile Money service, Mobile TV services, access to electricity in remote areas Orange Energy.
In Cote d’Ivoire, with +15 million customers, Orange CI is the leader in the areas of Fixed and Mobile Internet, and Mobile Money, both in the Consumer and Business markets. As a digital and committed operator and convinced of the significant role of digital in the development of our country, Orange is committed to the development and promotion of digital services in Cote d’Ivoire. Orange Group contributes close to 11% to the National GDP. We are also a major actor in corporate social responsibility arena through the Orange Cote d’Ivoire Foundation and Orange Digital Center.
We are the employer of choice in the Telecoms sector, we place staff and gender promotion at the center of our approach. With the quality and commitment of our personnel (around 1500 employees) Orange CI has earned ‘Top Employer’ certifications, 8 consecutive times since 2014 for its excellent working conditions offered to its employees. We also have Quality Management System ISO 9001 Certification by AFAQ-AFNOR.
Visit our websites: www.orange.ci / www.business.orange.ci
About Orange
Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with sales of 42.5 billion euros in 2021 and 136,500 employees worldwide at 30 September 2022, including 75,000 employees in France. The Group has a total customer base of 286 million customers worldwide at 30 September 2022, including 240 million mobile customers and 24 million fixed broadband customers. The Group is present in 26 countries. Orange is also a leading provider of global IT and telecommunication services to multinational companies under the brand Orange Business Services. In December 2019, the Group presented its “Engage 2025” strategic plan, which, guided by social and environmental accountability, aims to reinvent its operator model. While accelerating in growth areas and placing data and AI at the heart of its innovation model, the Group will be an attractive and responsible employer, adapted to emerging professions.
Orange is listed on Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN). For more information on the internet and on your mobile: www.orange.com, www.orange-business.com and the Orange News app or to follow us on Twitter: @orangegrouppr.
Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trademarks of Orange or Orange Brand Services Limited.
Orange press contacts:
OCI
Mediaroom Orange CI: https://www.orange.ci/media-room/
Aboubakar KAMAGATE: aboubakar.kamagate@orange.com
OMEA
Khadija KOMARA: khadija.komara@orange.com ; +33 6 76 45 96 18
Groupe
Ibtissame NAFII: ibtissame.nafii@orange.com ; +33 6 37 38 60 50
About Vanu, Inc.
Vanu provides equipment, tools and services that enable MNOs to profitably serve the 1.2 billion people who do not have connectivity today. Vanu’s solutions combine technology and business model innovations to reduce the total cost of ownership of wireless networks. The company grew out of groundbreaking research in software radio at MIT and was founded in 1998. Vanu is the developer of the Anywave™ Base Station. Anywave was the first commercial Radio Access Network (RAN) product to simultaneously support multiple cellular radio standards on the same platform and the first U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)-certified software defined radio. Vanu is headquartered in Lexington, MA, with offices in Gurgaon, India, Bangalore, India and in Kigali, Rwanda.
For more information, visit www.vanu.com.
Press Contact:
Andy Meltzer
Guyer Group
+1 (617) 821-4829
Categorized in: News