In a move that’s set to supercharge East Africa’s digital backbone, AXIAN Telecom’s fibre arm, Yas, has fully embraced the Wananchi Group family. Announced recently, the acquisition sees Yas snapping up a commanding 99.63% stake in the broadband powerhouse for a cool $63 million.
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For the loyal users of Zuku’s high-speed home internet and Simbanet’s enterprise-grade connectivity, this is a promise of bigger, bolder horizons.
A match made in fibre heaven
Wananchi Group, the Kenyan-born trailblazer that’s been wiring up homes and offices since 2007, has long been synonymous with reliable broadband in the region.
Through its Zuku brand, it delivers fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) magic to over a million households across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Malawi—think seamless streaming in Kampala or lag-free video calls in Nairobi. Simbanet, meanwhile, powers businesses with robust enterprise solutions, from cloud-ready networks to SD-WAN setups that keep operations humming.
Enter Yas, the Mauritius-headquartered dynamo under the AXIAN Telecom umbrella. This pan-African player has been on a tear, expanding its fibre footprint in Tanzania, Madagascar, Comoros, Senegal, and Togo. With subscriber numbers doubling and revenues climbing double-digits, Yas isn’t content with being a regional contender—it’s gunning for continental dominance.
This deal catapults it into Kenya and Uganda’s bustling markets, blending Wananchi’s street-smart local know-how with Yas’s deep pockets for infrastructure muscle.
For Uganda, where Zuku has carved out a sweet spot in urban hubs like Kampala, this spells faster FTTH expansions and beefier speeds. Businesses eyeing AI-driven ops or hybrid work setups? Simbanet’s enterprise edge just got a global polish, opening doors to AXIAN’s wider ecosystem.
“The networks, the customer vibes, the on-the-ground savvy—Wananchi’s got it all,” says Hassan Jaber, CEO of AXIAN Telecom. “This union is our ticket to leading the broadband charge across Africa. We’re talking unlocked growth, fresh innovations, and real value for the communities and hustles we power.”
Bertrand Lacroix, CEO of AXIAN Telecom Fibre, couldn’t be more pumped: “Building Africa’s top broadband squad is the mission, and Wananchi’s our ace move. We’re all-in on high-speed net for millions more—because connectivity isn’t a luxury; it’s the future.”
The bigger picture
This isn’t isolated ink on a deal sheet. Africa’s telecom scene is consolidating fast, fueled by exploding data demands from mobile apps, e-commerce, and remote everything. With fibre as the unsung hero of this revolution, Yas-Wananchi duo is primed to slash costs, spark innovation, and bridge urban-rural gaps. Picture more affordable gigs for startups, smoother edtech for schools, and telehealth that actually loads.
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