Orange is spending on Nokia single radio access network in 7 African countries under a 3-year modernization project as part of its strategy to launch 4G services.

Finland-based Nokia has set up a dedicated West and Central Africa Support Center in the Ivorian capital, Abidjan, to facilitate the deployment of 4G network.

Nokia will modernize 11,000 radio sites in seven African countries including Egypt, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Senegal, Mali, Guinea-Bissau and Niger. Orange will use Nokia’s Single RAN technology to support existing 2G and 3G subscribers while enhancing speeds and coverage as it launches 4G services.

Orange has already lowered operational costs and launched new 4G services in Egypt, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Mali, Senegal and Guinea-Bissau. The company is enhancing 3G service with an average 85-percent increase in throughput, and is experiencing a 90-percent increase in traffic across the seven countries.