NuRAN Wireless Inc., a leading supplier of mobile and broadband wireless infrastructure solutions, has announced the entry into a Network-as-a-Service (“NaaS”) agreement with Orange Madagascar for the deployment of up to 500 rural networking telecommunication sites under the NaaS business model in the east coast of Madagascar.
The agreement was signed today 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.
We are pleased with the materialization of this partnership which aims to bring mobile telephony services to the Malagasy people who were previously excluded from digital connectivity. Mobile telephony has become an essential need in everyday life and essential for economic and social development because it makes it possible to open up and connect Madagascar to the rest of the world and as importantly have access to financial services through mobile money.
Frédéric Debord, CEO, Orange Madagascar
We are extremely 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 now reached 4,642 sites under contract in less than 2 years from receiving our first NaaS contract. We are approaching 50% 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 an environmentally friendly manner.
Francis Letourneau, CEO, NuRAN
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%. The estimated gross revenues are subject to among other things, associated project expenses including expenses associated with satellite bandwidth, site lease, network operations center 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 variety of site categories to cover different population densities and coverage areas. NuRAN expects to retain the ownership of the infrastructure after completion of the contract which increases the overall value of the agreement.
