Eastcastle and Helios Towers Commit Over $200M to DR Congo Telecom Buildout, Concentrated in Southern Mining Belt

Eastcastle Infrastructure will invest another $100 million in DR Congo over the next 18 months, following nearly $200 million spent since entering the market five years ago. London-listed Helios Towers separately announced a $110 million investment for 2026, its largest annual outlay in the country in five years and a 77 percent increase from last year.

The combined commitments exceed $200 million and come as African internet data consumption is projected to quadruple over the next five years.

DR Congo has 110 million people and recorded more than 70 million mobile subscriptions at the end of 2025, reaching two-thirds penetration. About one-third of the new demand is concentrated in Kolwezi and Lubumbashi in the southern copper-and-cobalt belt, where mines require connectivity for operations and headquarters links.

Eastcastle CEO Peter Lewis said the scale of demand is matched only by Nigeria, with both countries now building thousands of towers annually while most African markets add hundreds.

Helios Towers’ DR Congo chief Maixent Bekangba said the company has signed demand sufficient to support the full 2026 buildout. Eastcastle reported that all sites currently under construction are backed by commitments from mobile operators. 1 billion in 2024.

By the fourth quarter of 2025, mobile data surpassed voice for the first time, accounting for more than 55 percent of total telecom revenue. Airtel ranked third in subscribers behind Vodacom and Orange at the end of 2025 but led in mobile data revenue and overall revenue. The market is served by four operators, with Vodacom Group, Bharti Airtel, and Orange holding roughly equal shares.