Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group
Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group is a wholesale-only African fiber infrastructure operator founded in 2010, running 80,000+ km of network across 15 countries and selling capacity to MNOs, ISPs, content providers, and governments in markets such as Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersNairobi, Kenya
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group does
Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group (BCS Group) is a wholesale telecommunications infrastructure provider operating across Africa. Founded in 2010 in Uganda, the company is now headquartered in Mauritius with an operational headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, and has built a fiber network of 80,000+ kilometers spanning 15 African countries. It sells capacity exclusively on a wholesale basis to mobile network operators, internet service providers, content providers, and governments, and explicitly does not compete with its customers in retail markets. Its network carries approximately one-third of total internet capacity in Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda, and reaches 80 million+ end users via 2,500+ connected towers and 150,000+ buildings and homes.
The company's product portfolio spans IP Transit, fiber construction, colocation, network transmission, global and regional connectivity, and FTTx services. Commercial deployment is structured around four partnership models—Co-Build, Lease, EPC Contractor, and Dark Fiber Managed Services—which allow BCS to flex capex against demand and engage anchor tenants under varied economic terms. Named customers include Airtel, Telkom Kenya, Raxio Data Centre, and major content providers such as Facebook and Google. The company commits to a 99.99% service-level guarantee across its infrastructure.
BCS operates with a workforce of approximately 100-250 employees, of which 40-45% are women, with 45% female representation in leadership. Founder Yonas Maru serves as Managing Director alongside five additional C-suite executives. The company has raised $30 million in disclosed debt funding—an $18 million EIB facility in 2018 and a $12 million Finnfund facility in 2021—and is executing geographic expansion into Angola, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, alongside specialized projects on Lake Tanganyika and the River Lualaba. No public revenue figures are disclosed.
Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group
- Legal name
- Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group (BCS)
- Website
- https://bcs-ea.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group is a wholesale-only African fiber infrastructure operator founded in 2010, running 80,000+ km of network across 15 countries and selling capacity to MNOs, ISPs, content providers, and governments in markets such as Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wholesale Telecommunications Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Wired and Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (51711)
- SIC
- Communications Services, Nec (4899)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wholesale Access & Last-Mile Leasing (local loops, bitstream, unbundling) (HDAIAEAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Wholesale Fixed Access & Bitstream Providers (HDAIABAF)
Keywords
Where Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nairobi
- HQ country
- Kenya
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices8 records
Markets served
Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Carrier Grade IP Transit: Wholesale internet services for telecom operators, ISPs, and other carriers. Provides IP Transit connectivity to global Internet content spanning Europe, the Middle East, and Africa through strategic partnerships with Tier-1 IP Transit providers. Revenue generated from bandwidth consumption and peering arrangements.
- Fiber Construction Services: Fiber construction services offered through EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) contracts, Co-Build partnerships, and Lease models. Revenue generated from construction project fees and ongoing infrastructure deployment.
- Colocation Services: Hosting services for servers and computing hardware at secure PoP locations. Revenue from rack space, power, and managed services fees.
- Network Transmission Services: Provides lit capacity, managed bandwidth, and lit fiber solutions. Offers Fiber-to-the-Tower (FTTT) and Fiber-to-the-Enterprise (FTTB) services. Revenue from leased capacity and managed bandwidth services on 1-5 year contracts.
- Global and Regional Connectivity: Cross-border and overseas connectivity with dedicated SDH, Ethernet point-to-point, and MPLS. Leased Capacity contracts (1-5 years, monthly/quarterly/annual billing) and IRU contracts (10-15 years with upfront payment and annual maintenance charges).
- Open Access FTTx: Customized FTTx solutions providing high-speed bandwidth connectivity including last mile. Revenue from FTTX deployment projects and ongoing service fees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Leased Capacity - 1 to 5 year contracts |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | IRU (Indefeasible Right of Use) - 10 to 15 year contracts |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | EPC Contractor Model |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Co-Build Partnership |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BCS Group is a wholesale telecommunications carrier that builds, owns and operates an 80,000+ km fiber optic network across Eastern, Central and Southern Africa, selling fiber connectivity, IP transit, colocation, transmission and FTTx services exclusively to Mobile Network Operators, ISPs, content providers and governments. Its offering spans subsea and terrestrial backhaul, metro fiber, dark fiber pairs, lit capacity, colocation at 100+ PoPs and last-mile FTTx deployment under EPC, Co-Build, Lease and IRU contract structures.
Product overview
BCS Group is a wholesale carrier providing Fiber Connectivity Solutions across a platform architecture that combines multiple interconnected services. The core offering includes Carrier Grade IP Transit (wholesale internet for telecom operators and ISPs), Fiber Construction (EPC/Co-Build/Own Build models), Colocation Services (secure hosting at PoPs), Network Transmission Services (dark fiber, lit capacity, FTTT, FTTB), Global and Regional Connectivity (cross-border MPLS/SDH/Ethernet), and Open Access FTTx (customized fiber-to-the-X solutions). These products work together as an integrated telecommunications infrastructure stack, enabling end-to-end connectivity from international submarine cable landing stations through backbone and metro fiber networks to last-mile access, serving Mobile Network Operators, ISPs, and content providers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Carrier Grade IP Transit Wholesale internet service providing IP Transit connectivity to global Internet content spanning Europe, the Middle East and Africa, delivered to telecom operators, ISPs and other carriers in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa through strategic partnerships with Tier-1 IP Transit providers. Revenue model is usage-based on bandwidth consumption and peering arrangements.
- Fiber Construction Fiber construction services offered to telecom operators under EPC, Co-Build and Own Build roll-out models, enabling continuous connectivity in underserved African markets by deploying underground, overhead and submarine fiber infrastructure. Revenue is generated from construction project fees and ongoing infrastructure deployment.
- Colocation Services Secure hosting services for customer servers and computing hardware at key Points of Presence including London Telephone House East, Mombasa Telephone House, Citadel Building in Nairobi, Airtel House and Lugogo (UETCL) in Kampala, and Telecom House in Kigali, enabling rapid scalability of data storage and capacity. Revenue is generated from rack space, power and managed services fees on a recurring subscription basis.
- Network Transmission Services Connectivity solutions spanning terrestrial dark fiber pairs, lit capacity services, Fiber-to-the-Tower (FTTT) and Fiber-to-the-Enterprise (FTTB), providing connectivity from global and city-to-city levels through tower connectivity down to last-mile connections. Revenue is generated from leased capacity and managed bandwidth services on 1-5 year contracts.
- Global and Regional Connectivity Cross-border and overseas connectivity services delivered via 100+ Points of Presence in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas, encompassing SDH, Ethernet point-to-point and MPLS connectivity. Sold through Leased Capacity contracts (1-5 years, monthly/quarterly/annual billing) and IRU contracts (10-15 years with upfront payment and annual maintenance charges).
- Open Access FTTx Customized Fiber-to-the-X solutions providing high-speed, continuous and seamless bandwidth connectivity including last-mile connection using fiber optic technology, available to homes, offices and industrial sites. Revenue is generated from FTTX deployment projects and ongoing service fees on a subscription basis.
Quantifiable outcome
- 80 million+ end users connected to network
- +8 more outcomes
Companies that use Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Raxio Data CentrecoreRaxio Data Centre selected BCS as its local fibre carrier partner, enabling customers to connect to international and local digital service providers. BCS brings content and cloud service providers to the Raxio Data Center from Mombasa submarine landing stations, while enabling Raxio to expand market reach across Uganda.
- FacebookflagshipFacebook supported Airtel and BCS to build shared fiber backhaul connectivity in Uganda. This strategic collaboration enabled improved connectivity infrastructure in the region, combining Facebook's connectivity initiatives with BCS's fiber infrastructure expertise.
- Tier-1 IP Transit ProviderscoreBCS Group maintains strategic partnerships with Tier-1 IP Transit providers to enable IP Transit connectivity to global Internet content spanning Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
- Internet Exchange Points (IXPs)coreBCS establishes connections with well-established IXPs including LINX in London, KIXP in Nairobi, UIXP in Kampala, RIXP in Kigali, and ANGONIX in Angola to ensure low latency connectivity.
- Content Providers (CDNs)coreBCS actively cultivates partnerships with content providers including Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Akamai, Netflix, Verizon, and Edgecast. These CDN partnerships enable reduced latency when accessing online content for regional customers.
Scale indicators16 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- IHS Towers: Major African and Latin American tower operator with presence across BCS's footprint. Adjacent infrastructure business with shared MNO customers and overlapping tower-connectivity demand.
- Helios Towers: Largest African tower operator with significant presence in DRC, Tanzania, and other BCS-served markets. Adjacent infrastructure player whose tower tenants overlap with BCS's wholesale customer base.
Direct peers
- Liquid Intelligent Technologies: Largest pan-African wholesale fiber and connectivity operator (part of Cassava Technologies). Directly comparable to BCS as a wholesale carrier selling fiber, IP transit, and backhaul to African MNOs and ISPs across overlapping geographies.
- SEACOM: Submarine cable operator landing in Mombasa and serving East Africa with wholesale IP transit and capacity — directly overlaps with BCS's IP Transit and cross-border connectivity offerings.
- WIOCC: Wholesale-only African carrier consortium owning capacity on multiple submarine cables and terrestrial routes; competes with BCS in IP Transit and wholesale bandwidth across Eastern and Southern Africa.
- MainOne (Equiano): West African submarine cable and wholesale connectivity operator now part of the Equiano/Google cable ecosystem. Comparable wholesale carrier model serving African operators and content providers.
- Angola Cables: Submarine cable operator (SACS, WACS) and wholesale carrier serving the Angolan and Southern African markets where BCS operates, with overlapping enterprise and operator customer base.
- Paratus Group: Pan-African fiber and wireless carrier providing wholesale connectivity, colocation, and enterprise services across Southern and Eastern Africa — overlapping with BCS in Zambia, Angola, and Namibia border markets.
Broad incumbents
- MTN GlobalConnect: Wholesale carrier and infrastructure arm of MTN Group, one of Africa's largest MNOs. Competitor and potential customer of BCS for cross-border capacity across MTN's African footprint.
Others
- Africa50 Infrastructure: Pan-African infrastructure investment platform that has co-invested in African digital infrastructure projects. Comparable as a counterparty in DFI-funded African connectivity infrastructure, though not a direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group social profiles
Digital presenceBandwidth and Cloud Services Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group
What does Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group do?
BCS Group is a wholesale telecommunications carrier that builds, owns and operates an 80,000+ km fiber optic network across Eastern, Central and Southern Africa, selling fiber connectivity, IP transit, colocation, transmission and FTTx services exclusively to Mobile Network Operators, ISPs, content providers and governments. Its offering spans subsea and terrestrial backhaul, metro fiber, dark fiber pairs, lit capacity, colocation at 100+ PoPs and last-mile FTTx deployment under EPC, Co-Build, Lease and IRU contract structures.
Is Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group a public or private company?
Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group founded?
Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group was founded in 2010. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group based?
Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, in the Africa region.
How does Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Carrier Grade IP Transit is the primary driver. The others are fiber Construction Services, colocation Services, network Transmission Services, global and Regional Connectivity and open Access FTTx.
Who are Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group's main competitors?
Regional players on record are IHS Towers and Helios Towers. Direct peers are Liquid Intelligent Technologies, SEACOM, WIOCC, MainOne (Equiano), Angola Cables and Paratus Group. MTN GlobalConnect is listed as a broad incumbent. Africa50 Infrastructure is listed as an others.
Does Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group.
What industry is Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group in?
Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group's product category is Wholesale Telecommunications Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAIAEAH, Wholesale Access & Last-Mile Leasing (local loops, bitstream, unbundling), with a secondary code of HDAIABAF, Wholesale Fixed Access & Bitstream Providers. Its NAICS code is 51711 and its SIC code is 4899.