Orange S.A. (EPA: ORA), France’s largest telecommunications
operator, plans to double the number of solar-powered mobile base
stations across Africa and the Middle East as higher fuel prices
and unreliable electricity supplies strengthen the commercial case
for renewable-energy investments.
Speaking to Bloomberg Television during the
Africa-France business summit in Nairobi, group chief executive
Christel Heydemann said the fallout from the conflict involving
Iran had increased the attractiveness of solar investments across
the company’s African operations.
“The current crisis in the Middle East is making the business
case even more sustainable,” Heydemann said.
According to Orange’s 2025 annual report, the company has
already deployed solar-energy systems at around 15,000 sites across
11 countries in Africa and the Middle East, representing roughly
30% of its regional network infrastructure.
Heydemann said Orange intended to double that number, although
she did not specify a timeline and said a formal announcement would
be made soon.
The solar expansion forms part of a broader €5bn ($5.7bn)
investment programme planned across Africa and the Middle East over
the next three years, regions that have become key growth drivers
for the French telecoms group.
The strategy reflects increasing pressure on African telecom
operators to reduce diesel consumption, lower operating costs and
improve resilience in markets where grid reliability remains
weak.
Tower operators and mobile-network companies across the
continent have accelerated renewable-energy deployment in recent
years, including Helios Towers (LSE: HTWS), Safaricom (NSE: SCOM)
and MTN Group (JSE: MTN).
Orange also partnered with the Congolese subsidiary of Vodacom
Group (JSE: VOD) in 2025 to share the cost of deploying
solar-powered infrastructure in rural areas of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The operator had around 179mn customers across 18 countries in
Africa and the Middle East at the end of 2025, with many of its
largest operations concentrated in francophone African
markets.
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