• The DRC’s Universal Service Development Fund (FDSU) launched a 2026–2035 strategy to connect nearly 68 million rural residents.

• The plan relies on a shared “TowerCo Lead” model combining tower companies, mobile operators and regulatory oversight.

• Around 80% of the Congolese population did not use the internet in 2024, according to the ITU.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) unveiled a 10-year strategy to reduce its digital divide and connect nearly 68 million people in rural areas through a shared infrastructure model.

The Universal Service Development Fund (FDSU) presented the 2026–2035 roadmap on Thursday, February 12, during the first sector collaboration framework meeting. FDSU Director General Paterne Binene A Kadiat led the meeting, which gathered key public and private telecommunications stakeholders.

The strategy introduces a shared infrastructure model called “TowerCo Lead.” Tower companies will finance and deploy passive infrastructure, including towers, energy systems and backhaul, under an open-access framework. Mobile network operators (MNOs) will install active equipment on the towers to provide services. The Regulatory Authority for Posts and Telecommunications of Congo (ARPTC) will oversee compliance, service quality and adherence to regulatory standards.

The FDSU will assume a strategic and financial role. The fund will structure subsidy mechanisms and supervise implementation. Authorities will allocate subsidies by operational zone to consortia formed between TowerCos and MNOs. The government divided the territory into five operational zones. The plan introduces a cross-subsidy mechanism under which profitable sites will support loss-making areas, thereby limiting reliance on public subsidies.

The initiative aligns with a broader African trend favoring telecom infrastructure sharing to reduce connectivity gaps. In the DRC, Orange and Vodacom announced the creation of a joint venture to deploy 2,000 solar-powered mobile base stations in rural areas, targeting coverage of 19 million people. In August 2025, Vodacom and Airtel Africa signed an agreement to share telecom infrastructure across several key markets, including the DRC.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) stated that “mobile service infrastructure sharing is a solution that reduces the cost of network deployment, particularly in rural areas or marginal markets. This sharing can also encourage migration to new technologies and the deployment of mobile broadband. It can also strengthen competition between mobile service operators and service providers, when safeguards are used to prevent anti-competitive behavior.”

The ITU reported that 2G, 3G and 4G networks covered 75%, 55% and 45% of the Congolese population respectively in 2024. The organization estimated mobile penetration at 44.3% and internet penetration at 19.7% in 2024. By the end of September 2025, the Congolese regulator reported mobile penetration of 65.3% and mobile internet penetration of 32.2% across a population of 112.2 million. The GSMA estimated that 40 million people in the DRC lacked access to mobile internet in 2023.

Isaac K. Kassouwi