Airtel Africa partners with Nokia to accelerate the development of its fiber network
November 12th 2025
Telesonic was launched in February 2024. Its portfolio of services includes national and international line leasing, dedicated Internet access, IP and IP transit services, as well as MPLS (multiprotocol label switching) services.
Telecommunications group Airtel Africa announced on Tuesday, November 11, a partnership with Finnish technology company Nokia to deploy a high-capacity fiber optic network in Central and East Africa. The network will be implemented by Telesonic, the operator’s wholesale fiber optic subsidiary, to meet the growing demand for connectivity.
The project was presented on the sidelines of the 28th edition of AfricaCom, the major event for connectivity stakeholders in Africa, held in Cape Town, South Africa, from November 10 to 13. It aims to connect several African countries and link submarine cables, including 2Africa, to terrestrial networks. Thanks to Nokia’s 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) platform, this infrastructure will be able to support up to 38 terabits per second (Tbps), facilitating fast, secure, and large-scale data transfer.
“Our collaboration with Nokia is an important step in the development of Africa’s digital infrastructure. By leveraging Nokia’s cutting-edge fiber optic solutions, we aim to meet the growing demand for data across the continent. This network will stimulate economic growth, empower communities, and create new opportunities for businesses and individuals ,” said Prasanta Das Sarma, Managing Director of Airtel Africa Telesonic.
Launched in February 2024, Telesonic’s mission is to meet the strong demand for wholesale data capacity in the context of accelerated digital transformation. According to the GSMA, mobile data traffic in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to increase by approximately 6 GB per connection per month between 2023 and 2030. This growth will be driven by the expansion of mobile broadband coverage, increasing smartphone penetration, and rising demand for bandwidth-intensive content such as online gaming and video streaming. At the end of 2024, only 28% of the region’s population used mobile internet, a figure projected to reach 33% by 2030.
The launch of Telesonic is part of a diversification strategy undertaken by Airtel Africa, like other operators on the continent, to diversify its revenue streams beyond traditional telecom services. In addition to fiber optics, the group has notably created subsidiaries dedicated to data centers and digital advertising. In the first half of its 2026 fiscal year, which ended in September, it generated revenue of USD 2.98 billion, of which USD 1.16 billion came from data services.
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