Orange Burkina Faso Receives 4G Licence

Orange Burkina Faso, the West African nation’s largest mobile operator by subscribers, has been awarded a 4G licence by the Ministry of the Development of Digital Economy and Posts (Ministre du Developpement de l’Economie Numerique et des Postes, MDENP). The cellco paid XOF40 billion (USD69.5 million) for the 15-year concession and committed to pay a further XOF40 billion to renew its existing 2G/3G licences.

The remaining fee will be paid in two installments, as specified by the regulator. The licence handover took place on 15 January, and Orange Burkina Faso CEO Ben Cheik Haidara told reporters that subscribers can expect a commercial launch ‘very soon’, with speeds of up to 150Mbps expected to be made available to users with LTE-compatible handsets.—Tele Geography