Pan-African telcos MTN Group and Airtel Africa have signed a tower-sharing agreement that covers Uganda and Nigeria.

The agreement will see the two telcos share network infrastructure in the two countries.

The two telcos expect to improve network cost efficiencies and expand coverage to more people across the two nations, in particular to rural areas.

“As MTN, we are driven by the vision of delivering digital solutions that drive Africa’s progress. We continue to see strong structural demand for digital and financial services across our markets," said MTN Group president and chief executive officer Ralph Mupita.

"To meet this demand, we continue to invest in coverage and capacity to ensure high-quality connectivity for our customers. That said, there are opportunities within regulatory frameworks for sharing resources to drive higher efficiencies and improve returns.”

Airtel Africa CEO Sunil Taldar noted that the agreement will "provide a more robust and extensive digital highway to drive digital and financial inclusion," while helping to drive operational efficiencies.

Both companies said that they could explore similar agreements in other markets, including Congo-Brazzaville, Rwanda, and Zambia.

RAN sharing and fiber infrastructure sharing agreements are also being considered.

Network infrastructure sharing isn't a new thing. In the UK, the four main mobile operators are part of the Shared Rural Network (SRN) which aims to support some of the country's most remote areas. Elsewhere in Australia, Optus and TPG Telecom signed a regional network-sharing agreement last year.