Bayobab CEO Frédéric Schepens.

In the past six months, Bayobab, an MTN Group operating company offering wholesale infrastructure services, deployed approximately 3,000 kilometres of fibre, bringing its total proprietary fibre inventory to 108,000 kilometres.

Additionally, the company disclosed that it was granted a National Long-Distance Operator licence in Nigeria, allowing it to facilitate long-distance traffic within the country's borders.

Reporting on Bayobab’s performance for the first half of the year, ended June, MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita said Bayobab's external revenue increased by 12.3% year-over-year (YoY) to $172.5 million.

He further reported that the communication platforms segment grew 11.9% year-over-year, bolstered by a five-year messaging agreement with a global hyperscaler and a resilient performance from international voice services.

"Bayobab partnered with global mobile networks to launch over 5,700 roaming services and expand its footprint," he explained.

In the six months, the fixed connectivity segment of Bayobab's business increased external revenue by 15.2% year-over-year, aided by new fixed connectivity infrastructure contracts worth $8.4 million.

The company has been expanding its reach across the continent in recent months.

Earlier this year, Bayobab penned a $320 million agreement with infrastructure investment firm Africa50 to develop Project East2West, a terrestrial fibre optic cable network. The project is due to connect 10 African countries to the cable network by 2025.

At the time, Bayobab CEO Frédéric Schepens, said: “Africa’s connectivity relies on strategic and global partnerships coming together to build the much-needed large-scale backbone infrastructure to meet the explosive demand for digital services.”