Africa Mobile Networks

What Africa Mobile Networks does

Africa Mobile Networks (AMN) is a UK-registered private company founded in 2013 by Michael Darcy that finances, builds, owns, operates, and maintains mobile network base stations in rural and ultra-rural Sub-Saharan Africa, serving tier-1 mobile network operators (MNOs) such as MTN, Orange, and Vodafone under a Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) commercial model. AMN deploys solar-powered base stations on 12m monopole or 20m lattice towers, backhauled via multi-orbit satellite connectivity (SES GEO/MEO/LEO, Starlink LEO, Intelsat HTS), enabling service delivery to communities as small as 500-1,000 people without grid or terrestrial network dependencies. The company's proprietary AMN Radio Node (ARN) — a software-defined radio developed after the 2020 acquisition of US-based Range Networks Inc. — supports 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G from a single multi-carrier unit, and runs Osmocom open-source software across 18 base station controllers serving more than 4,200 sites.

AMN's product portfolio includes the ARN-900 (900 MHz band, supporting 2G/3G/4G with up to 4 TRX) and the newly launched ARN Dual-Band (2026) offering two-frequency-band operation from a single unit, all manufactured in the UK. The NaaS model is offered under two structures: a revenue-share arrangement where AMN absorbs opex risk and shares site revenue after deducting operator direct costs (guaranteeing positive EBITDA for the MNO with no capex), and a fixed monthly fee per site where the operator captures upside on high-traffic sites. As of March 2026, AMN operates 5,000+ base stations across 15 countries (plus Panama, with Guatemala planned), connecting 15+ million people and delivering approximately 11.2 million billable voice minutes per day. Customers are exclusively enterprise-tier-1 MNOs with multi-year contracts (up to 10 years, e.g., Orange Madagascar).

AMN monetizes through long-cycle subscription-style NaaS agreements rather than per-minute retail, with cumulative capital invested exceeding US$100M from impact and development-finance-aligned investors including Metier, CDC Group, DEG, Proparco, BlueOrchard, OP Finnfund, and Intelsat. The company maintains a Global Network Operations Centre (GNOC) at its Milton Keynes headquarters for 24x7 monitoring across all sites, with a small operating headcount of 11-50 employees supporting the asset-heavy, geographically distributed infrastructure footprint.

Name

Africa Mobile Networks

Legal name

Africa Mobile Networks Ltd

Website

https://amn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Africa Mobile Networks finances, builds, owns, and operates solar-powered rural mobile network base stations across Sub-Saharan Africa under a Network-as-a-Service model for tier-1 operators (MTN, Orange, Vodafone), using proprietary software-defined radio technology and satellite backhaul to connect uncommunities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Telecom Infrastructure Services

NAICS

Satellite Telecommunications (5174), Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (517112), Wired and Wireless Telecommunications (except Satellite) (5171)

SIC

Radiotelephone Communications (4812), Computer Communications Equipment (3576), Communications Services, Nec (4899)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer Mobile Network Operators (Retail MNOs) (HDAIAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Non-Terrestrial Mobile Network Operators (Satellite-Integrated NTN Mobile) (HDAIAAAJ)

Keywords

• Rural mobile connectivity
• Telecom infrastructure services
• Mobile network operations
• Solar-powered base stations
• Satellite backhaul solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Milton Keynes

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Network-as-a-Service Revenue-Share Model: AMN funds capex, acquires sites, builds, commissions, operates and maintains rural base stations. AMN takes all opex risk and receives a share of revenue generated by each site after deduction of operator's direct costs (termination, regulatory fees, airtime distribution margins). Operator guaranteed positive EBITDA with no capex investment.
2. Network-as-a-Service Opex Model: AMN builds sites wherever the operator specifies in return for a fixed monthly fee per site. Operator enjoys upside benefits of high-traffic and high-revenue sites while AMN manages all infrastructure.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Africa Mobile Networks (AMN) finances, builds, owns, operates and maintains solar-powered mobile network base stations in rural and ultra-rural Sub-Saharan Africa, delivering them to tier-1 Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) under a Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) model. The company deploys its proprietary AMN Radio Node (ARN) software-defined radio technology on solar-powered towers connected via multi-orbit satellite backhaul (SES and Starlink) to provide 2G, 3G, and 4G voice and data connectivity to previously unconnected communities.

Product overview

Africa Mobile Networks (AMN) offers a unified Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) platform that enables tier-1 mobile network operators to expand rural coverage. The core offering centers on AMN's proprietary AMN Radio Node (ARN) family — including the ARN-900 (900 MHz band, supporting 2G/3G/4G) and the ARN Dual-Band (launched 2026, spanning two frequency bands) — combined with solar-powered base station infrastructure (Standard 12m monopole and Extended 20m lattice towers) that AMN funds, builds, owns, operates, and maintains. The NaaS model is delivered under two commercial structures: Revenue-Share (AMN absorbs opex risk and shares revenue, requiring no capex or opex from the operator) and an Opex Model (fixed monthly fee per site). Connectivity is backhauled via integrated satellite links including Starlink (LEO), SES, and Intelsat. The network runs AMN's own ARN and Osmocom open-source software across more than 4,000 base stations as of 2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ARN (AMN Radio Node): AMN's proprietary software-defined radio node capable of delivering 2G, 3G, 4G, and future 5G services from a single unit, optimized for solar power and satellite backhaul in rural deployments. Manufactured in the UK.
• Network-as-a-Service (NaaS)
• ARN-900

Products and services

• AMN Radio Node (ARN) AMN's proprietary software-defined radio node capable of providing 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G services from a single unit. Available in multiple versions supporting 800, 850, and 900 MHz frequency bands. Manufactured in the UK and deployed across AMN's rural base station network.
• ARN-900 The first in-house radio node product launched by AMN following its acquisition of Range Networks. Operates in the 900 MHz band, supports up to 4 TRX for 2G with integrated 3G service (HSPA), upgradeable to 8 TRX with LTE (4G), offering up to 300,000 voice minutes per month and serving up to 4,000 subscribers and approximately 15,000 people per node.
• ARN Dual-Band AMN's first dual-band radio node offering increased 2G and 4G resources across two frequency bands from a single unit, deployed from 2026 onward.
• Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) AMN's turnkey business model in which AMN funds, builds, owns, operates, and maintains rural mobile base stations for tier-1 mobile network operators. Two commercial structures are offered: Revenue-Share (AMN takes opex risk and shares revenue, requiring no capex or opex from the operator with guaranteed positive EBITDA) and Opex Model (fixed monthly fee per site).
• Rural Mobile Base Station Infrastructure Solar-powered mobile network base stations deployed in rural and ultra-rural communities. AMN operates Standard (12m monopole) and Extended (20m self-supporting lattice) tower configurations, with deployment times of approximately 4 hours for standard sites. Base stations support 2G, 3G, and 4G voice and data connectivity via GSM, UMTS, and LTE technologies, covering 3-5 sq km (Standard) or 30-50 sq km (Extended).

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,000+ base stations deployed across 15+ countries serving 15+ million people
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• SEScoreTechnology or Integration · 1 February 2026Partnership for multi-orbit satellite network (GEO, MEO, LEO) providing backhaul connectivity. SES provides capacity for AMN's DRC operations supporting 1,100+ base stations. 292 new sites deployed in DRC in 90 days.
• SpaceX (Starlink)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 July 2023Commercial agreement to use Starlink LEO constellation for satellite backhaul at AMN rural base stations. Enables high-speed, low-latency broadband connectivity for remote communities. Over 100 terminals deployed in Nigeria with 45% traffic increase.
• Orange MadagascarcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 March 2023NaaS agreement signed to build minimum 500 rural base stations in Madagascar. Allows over 1 million Malagasy people to access Orange network services including Orange Money. AMN has secured all funding for this agreement.
• Range Networks Inc.coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 August 2020AMN acquired Range Networks in August 2020. Range, based in San Francisco, developed software-defined mobile radio networks for rural installations. Now AMN's basis for in-house RAN equipment (ARN) development.
• sysmocomstrategicTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020Developer of Osmocom open-source software for 2G/3G mobile communications. AMN uses Osmocom software running on ARN controllers. Approximately 5 million voice minutes daily running on Osmocom software across 1,400+ towers.
• FacebookstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Strategic partner accelerating inclusion of 3G/4G services for rural African users. Facebook expanded rural access efforts to more countries through AMN partnership.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IHS Towers: One of the largest independent towercos globally with deep African footprint (Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, DRC, etc.). Directly comparable business model of building, owning and operating passive+active telecom infrastructure for tier-1 MNOs.
• NuRAN Wireless: Canada-listed rural mobile network infrastructure specialist focusing on small-cell, solar-powered sites with satellite backhaul in Africa and other emerging markets. Highly comparable technology stack and target customer profile to AMN.
• Helios Towers: LSE-listed African towerco operating thousands of telecom sites across multiple African markets. Closest comparable to AMN's towerco model, though focused on larger urban/peri-urban sites rather than rural ultra-low-ARPU communities.

Emerging players

• Mavenir: Open RAN and cloud-native network software vendor serving MNOs and towercos globally. Comparable in pushing software-defined, virtualized mobile network architectures relevant to rural/greenfield deployments like AMN's.
• Parallel Wireless: Open RAN software platform provider enabling multi-vendor mobile network deployments. Adjacent to AMN's ARN/Range Networks heritage; competes in the rural/greenfield mobile network architecture space.

Broad incumbents

• MTN Group: Africa's largest MNO group by subscribers and AMN's largest disclosed customer (deployments in Liberia, Nigeria, DRC). Competes for the same rural subscriber base that AMN enables.
• Vodafone Group: Tier-1 MNO and NaaS customer of AMN across multiple African markets. Relevant incumbent comparable as a major African mobile network operator that could in-source rural infrastructure at scale.
• American Tower Corporation: Global towerco with significant African presence (ATC Africa, including acquired Eaton Towers). Larger and broader portfolio than AMN but competing for the same tier-1 MNO relationships and increasingly the same rural/ultra-rural market.

Others

• SES S.A. Multi-orbit satellite operator (GEO/MEO/LEO) and AMN's strategic backhaul partner supporting 1,100+ sites in DRC. Adjacent infrastructure provider rather than a direct competitor, but key ecosystem participant.
• Intelsat: Global satellite operator and strategic equity investor in AMN ($25M, 2018). Provides HTS backhaul capacity across Africa; ecosystem enabler rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/africa-mobile-networks-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors9 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Africa Mobile Networks