MTN to Connect 30 Million African Homes to Broadband

Millions of African families could soon swap spotty mobile connections for reliable home internet thanks to one of the continent's biggest telecom companies.

MTN Group announced plans to connect between 20 and 30 million homes across Africa with broadband over the next five years. CEO Ralph Mupita says the company sees a massive opportunity as more people need stable internet for remote work, online learning, and streaming entertainment at home.

For decades, telecom companies focused almost entirely on expanding mobile phone coverage across Africa. That strategy brought hundreds of millions of people online through smartphones, transforming how the continent communicates and does business.

But now the game is changing. As digital services grow and more daily activities move online, families and small businesses need more than just mobile data on their phones.

MTN Nigeria alone added over 281,000 home broadband users in just three months last year. The company has invested about $715 million in fiber expansion across Nigeria, signaling how serious it is about this shift.

The company plans to use whichever technology works best in each area, whether that's fiber cables or wireless systems that use existing cell towers. Mupita says MTN isn't married to any particular approach, just whatever delivers the best experience and makes financial sense.

Right now, MTN customers use about 12 gigabytes of data monthly on average. That's less than half what people in India consume at similar prices, suggesting huge room for growth once better home connections are available.

The Ripple Effect goes beyond just faster downloads. Small business owners across Africa could use reliable internet to manage payments, track inventory, and communicate with customers more easily. Students could access online education platforms without worrying about their connection dropping during class.

MTN believes home broadband will unlock demand for streaming services, educational tools, and gaming platforms that simply don't work well on mobile-only connections. More usage means more value for customers and more sustainable revenue for the company to keep expanding.

The strategy fits into MTN's broader vision focusing on connectivity, financial technology, and digital infrastructure across African markets. The company is even pursuing a $2.2 billion deal to buy tower operator IHS Towers, which would give it more control over the physical infrastructure powering these networks.

Mupita compared the potential of this digital expansion to how mobile phones themselves transformed Africa over the past three decades. He sees artificial intelligence playing a similar revolutionary role if companies invest wisely in the right infrastructure.

For families across the continent, the promise is simple: internet that actually works when you need it, whether that's for a video call with relatives, homework help, or just unwinding with a show after a long day.