Groundbreaking ceremony of the Nxtra by Airtel Africa 44MW Data Centre at Tatu City SEZ, Kenya (Image source: Tatu City)

Airtel has started work on what is set to be East Africa’s largest data centre at Kenya’s Tatu City Special Economic Zone

The Nxtra Data Centre facility will deliver 44MW of IT power capacity in phases, and house new-generation servers as well as high-density GPU-ready racks with 99.999% uptime, multiple redundant fibre paths, and advanced security systems.

The data centre hub is supported by Tatu City's provision of 95% renewable energy, making the location one of the greenest in the world for data centre investors and clients.

“By building the largest data centre in East Africa, we are laying the groundwork for a thriving digital ecosystem that empowers businesses, supports governments, and unlocks new opportunities for communities across the region,” said Yashnath Issur, CEO, data centre, Airtel Africa.

“Nxtra by Airtel will be built to the highest global standards, ensuring reliability, scalability, and energy efficiency. Beyond capacity, our focus is on sustainability and resilience, enabling customers to fully leverage next-generation technologies in a secure environment."

Tatu City, a 5,000-acre new city on Nairobi's doorstep, is Kenya's first operational Special Economic Zone, located 30 minutes from Nairobiand being developed by Rendeavour.

It has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in world-class infrastructure to become East Africa's data centre hub.

The city's utilities include a 135MVA power substation and distribution network with 99.7% uptime, the country's only location with 24/7 water supply for industries, comprehensive storm water management, 70km of international-standard roads, and more than 120km of secure underground fibre.

“For more than a decade, we have invested in world-class infrastructure and sustainable energy at Tatu City to make it the natural home for data centres in East Africa,” said Stephen Jennings, founder & CEO of Rendeavour.

“Airtel's decision to locate Nxtra here is a powerful endorsement of this vision. As Nxtra joins over 100 global and local companies already thriving at Tatu City, we are confident that many more data centres will follow.”

One third of Tatu City’s energy demand is met directly by solar power, which is boosted by Kenya's predominantly renewable national grid.

Other major businesses already operating at Tatu City include Emirates Logistics and Heineken.

Ethiopia leads Africa with solar telecom towers

Ethio Telecom, in partnership with Huawei, has announced the successful commercial rollout and steady operation of Africa’s first Solar-on-Tower solutions

The initiative represents a major step forward in Ethio Telecom’s strategy to transition toward a green, low carbon future. It aims to expand clean energy use, establish greener networks, and set a new technological milestone for the African telecommunications industry.

The Solar-on-Tower concept integrates photovoltaic panels directly onto telecom towers, offering a practical solution to the challenges of limited land availability and restricted space for solar installations in urban areas.

The first installation allowed the site to generate and consume its own solar power within just two days. Initial results show that solar power at these sites can last up to four hours, while diesel generator use has been reduced from six hours to two hours, equating to a 40% cut in fuel consumption per site.

In Addis Ababa, where thousands of telecom sites face space restrictions, adopting traditional ground mounted photovoltaic systems is not feasible. Solar-on-Tower therefore emerges as the first viable solution to enable Africa’s telecom sector to replace conventional energy sources with renewable power in such space limited scenarios.

Looking ahead, Ethio Telecom and Huawei plan to continue working together to develop high quality ICT energy infrastructure. Their shared goal is to promote greener, low carbon networks and enhance the resilience of telecom systems across the region.

MTN and ZTE deploy innovative 5-band RRU breakthrough in SA

ZTE Corporation, a global leader in integrated ICT solutions, together with MTN, one of Africa’s largest telecom operators, has announced the world’s first commercial deployment of a 5-band Remote Radio Unit (RRU)

The breakthrough, achieved in South Africa’s Western Cape Province, marks a major advancement in radio frequency technology and adds momentum to the continent’s telecom evolution.

South Africa, home to over 60 million people, is among Africa’s most advanced telecommunications markets. MTN currently provides more than 97% LTE population coverage across the nation, underscoring its mission to deliver quality connectivity, even to remote communities.

As customer demand for multi-band and multi-module services increases, operators face hurdles such as high power consumption, tower load, and space limitations. MTN’s adoption of the 5-band RRU offers a direct solution, boosting network performance, improving energy efficiency, and simplifying deployments to enable faster and more sustainable expansion of advanced connectivity.

Traditionally, adding new frequency bands requires new hardware, additional space, and more power. The new 5-band RRU, powered by ZTE’s in-house chipset, combines MTN South Africa’s low and mid bands (FDD) into one compact unit. This innovation cuts RAN RF modules on towers by half, reduces equipment weight by 23%, and lowers wind resistance by 18%. These optimisations ease site construction, reduce complexity, and free tower space.

ZTE has also introduced its Super-N amplifier architecture, which activates dense arrays of amplifiers on demand, overcoming the limitations of traditional Doherty systems. This design maintains efficiency under variable loads, achieving a 42.7% reduction in site power consumption and a 45.8% improvement in energy efficiency (Wh/GB). The results support South Africa’s push for a greener, low-carbon society and set a global benchmark for sustainable telecom development.

Rami Farah, chief technology officer, MTN South Africa, commented, "MTN's collaboration with ZTE on the world's first 5-band RRU commercial deployment effectively addresses multiple challenges faced by operators in terms of coverage, capacity, cost, and energy efficiency. It provides a new, replicable, highly integrated site solution for Africa and even the global market, accelerating the evolution of telecommunication networks towards higher efficiency and lower carbon emissions, continuously injecting core momentum into Africa's digital economy and promoting African telecommunication technologies to a higher level."

Luca Shen, CEO, ZTE South Africa, remarked, "ZTE has always regarded product leadership as its core competitiveness and is committed to delivering cutting-edge solutions. The in-depth collaboration with MTN not only achieves mutual benefits and win-win outcomes for both parties but also accelerates the rapid upgrade of South Africa's telecommunication network, setting a benchmark for digital transformation across the African continent."

Both ZTE and MTN have reaffirmed their dedication to advancing Africa’s digital infrastructure, emphasising energy conservation, emission reduction, and digital economy growth. With a shared vision of “protecting nature through technology and driving the future through innovation”, the companies will continue to work together to bridge the digital divide, deliver sustainable, smart networks, and contribute to wider economic and social development across the continent.

iXAfrica partners with RMB to secure multi-tranche funding, enabling 20 MW expansion at its Nairobi data centre campus

IX Africa Data Centre Limited and Rand Merchant Bank, a division of FirstRand Limited, have announced the successful closing of a multi-tranche funding package to drive the next stage of iXAfrica’s expansion

The financing will enable iXAfrica to respond to the region’s rising digital needs by supporting the construction of an additional 20 MW of IT power at its Nairobi data centre campus. This development builds on the initial phase, which currently delivers 2.25 MW already in operation.

RMB structured a tailored financing solution for iXAfrica, signalling the start of a new partnership and highlighting the bank’s commitment to working with top-tier clients across the continent.

“Our company has bold plans and ambitions, and we’ve been consistently delivering on them,” remarked Guy Willner, chairman of iXAfrica. “Closing this financing with RMB secures our next phase of growth and positions us to welcome more hyperscale and AI customers. We remain committed to expanding our East African footprint and deepening our investment in Kenya.”

“This transaction reflects RMB’s commitment to supporting scalable, high-impact digital infrastructure across Africa,” concluded Corrie Cronje, senior transactor RMB.