Airtel Zambia and tower company IHS Zambia are making good time on their plan with the Zambian government to expand network reach in Zambia, with 52 new telecoms towers expected to be up and running by the end of this month.
In April this year, Airtel and IHS announced an ambitious plan to collaborate with Zambia’s Ministry of Technology and Science and the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) to set up 152 new telecoms towers across the nation by November 2025. The initiative is estimated to cost approximately US$14 million to meet that deadline.
According to a Facebook post from Zambia’s Minister of Technology and Science Felix C. Mutati on Sunday, 40 towers are now live, and another 12 expected to be operational by the end of September. Mutati said the project is on track to be completed on schedule in November.
Of the new operational towers, 38 are located in Lusaka Province, including two newly commissioned ones in in Silverest, Chongwe. One of the Silverest towers is located near the University of Lusaka, which Mutati said will benefit over 11,000 students by providing enhanced access to academic resources and digital financial services.
Mutati added that the new towers feature a “smart energy system” that utilizes a mix of batteries, generators, and solar power to provide uninterrupted service and alleviate common problems such as dropped calls and poor internet connectivity.
Mutati noted that the Airtel-IHS project is part of a larger national initiative to improve digital access and service quality through strategic public-private partnerships (PPPs). Collins Chomba, ZICTA's director of universal access and services said that initiave has also made progress, with 43 of the 51 towers in remote areas are already complete, with the remaining eight scheduled for completion by the third quarter of this year. An additional 80 towers are planned for construction nationwide in the fourth quarter.
“This collaborative effort between the government, ZICTA, Airtel, and IHS Zambia is a powerful testament to the effectiveness of the PPP model,” Mutati said. “By combining the strengths of the public and private sectors, Zambia is rapidly accelerating the development of a robust digital economy.”
