MTN Group and Airtel Africa are teaming up to share network infrastructure in Nigeria and Uganda.

This move is all about cutting costs and expanding coverage, especially in areas that don’t yet have strong mobile networks. It’s not every day you see two big competitors working together like this, but with economic challenges and currency devaluation hitting profits, telecom giants are rethinking how they operate.

Nigeria is the biggest market for both companies, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing. MTN Group makes 40% of its revenue there, while Airtel Africa pulls in 34.4% from the country. The problem? The naira’s devaluation has made everything more expensive, from setting up towers to maintaining fiber networks. Instead of each company building its own infrastructure, they’re now looking to share resources—towers, base stations, and fiber-optic networks—to keep costs under control while improving service quality.

MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita pointed out that demand for data and digital financial services keeps growing across Africa. In Nigeria, MTN’s market share hit 51% in January, with over 3 million new subscribers bringing its total to 87.5 million. Airtel Nigeria also saw an increase, going from 56.6 million subscribers in December 2024 to 57.6 million by January 2025.

“We continue to see strong structural demand for digital and financial services across our markets,” Mupita said. “To meet this demand, we continue to invest in coverage and capacity to ensure high-quality connectivity for our customers.”

Before signing this deal with Airtel, MTN Nigeria had been in talks with 9mobile, a struggling telecom operator that has been losing customers. That potential agreement, which is still under discussion, would allow 9mobile to use MTN’s network in certain areas while MTN would gain access to 9mobile’s spectrum.

This new partnership fits right in with regulatory requirements. When the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) approved telecom tariff hikes in January, it told operators they had to roll out additional infrastructure within three months to improve service. Since the new tariffs kicked in this February, that means telecoms have just two months left to meet the deadline.

MTN and Airtel aren’t stopping at Nigeria and Uganda. They’re looking at other African markets too—places like Congo-Brazzaville, Rwanda, and Zambia—where they could also share networks. The companies are considering different approaches, from radio access network (RAN) sharing to joint investments in fiber infrastructure.

“As we compete fiercely in the market on the strength of our brand, services, and offerings, we are building common infrastructure within the permissible regulatory framework,” Airtel Africa CEO Sunil Taldar said. “This allows us to provide a more robust and extensive digital highway while avoiding the costly duplication of infrastructure.”

If this collaboration works well, it could pave the way for more network-sharing deals across Africa, helping telecom operators manage costs while expanding their reach.