• Helios Towers has committed $150 million to expand mobile network coverage across Senegal
• The investment supports Senegal’s New Deal Technologique, which targets reliable connectivity for 95% of the population
• Significant gaps remain, with 24% of localities lacking network coverage and only 52% having access to 4G

Helios Towers, a telecommunications infrastructure provider to mobile operators, has committed to investing $150 million in Senegal. The investment will support the expansion of mobile network coverage nationwide.

The plan was announced on Thursday, July 16, during a meeting between President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Helios Towers Group Chief Executive Tom Greenwood . According to a statement posted on social media by the Senegalese presidency, the commitment “reinforces Senegal’s ambition to make digital technology a driver of economic transformation and inclusion, for the benefit of communities nationwide.”

Details of the investment have not yet been disclosed. Helios Towers specializes in building, acquiring and operating shared telecommunications towers that can accommodate multiple mobile operators. The company also provides passive infrastructure and related services, including site maintenance, security, energy management and equipment space for operators.

“Our infrastructure-sharing model helps MNOs expand and densify networks more quickly and at lower cost, while reducing emissions – accelerating digital inclusion for millions of people,” the company says on its website. Helios Towers operated 1,479 sites in Senegal in the first quarter of 2026.

Investment Supports the “New Deal Technologique”

The announcement comes as Senegalese authorities seek to expand access to telecommunications services under the country’s digital transformation strategy. The “New Deal Technologique,” the government’s digital transformation roadmap, aims to raise access to reliable, high-quality connectivity to 95%, reduce the cost of digital services and increase their usage rate to more than 80%.

To meet those goals, the program calls for the nationwide deployment of high-speed connectivity, the extension of coverage to unserved areas and the development of last-mile connections. It also promotes greater infrastructure sharing to lower deployment costs and make services more affordable.

Senegal still faces significant coverage gaps. According to a study conducted by Senegalese authorities and presented in September 2025, 24% of the country’s localities have no network coverage, affecting about 18,858 people. An additional 37% experience frequent signal loss, while only 52% have 4G coverage. Some areas remain limited to 2G service.

DataReportal figures show that Senegal had 23.3 million mobile connections at the end of 2025, equivalent to a subscription penetration rate of 122%. The country also had 11.5 million internet users, representing about 60% of the population.

The mobile figures do not represent the number of unique users because one person may have multiple SIM cards or mobile lines, each counted as a separate connection.

Source: Agence Ecofin