8 June 2010 - Gide Loyrette Nouel advises the Government of Burundi on the first PPP in Africa on a telecommunications broadband network:

International law firm Gide Loyrette Nouel is delighted to announce the success of its mission to assist the Government of Burundi in setting up a public-private partnership for the first national broadband telecommunications network (backbone) on the African continent.

Gide advised the Government of Burundi and the World Bank on negotiations with local stakeholders in the telecoms sector to set up the Burundi Backbone System (BBS). This joint venture will be in charge of setting up and operating the national fibre backbone in Burundi and will benefit from sharing the infrastructure of the operator shareholders already present on the national market.

The establishment of this innovative PPP, in partnership with the World Bank and the main telecoms operators in Burundi, will foster access to national and international fibre links. Indeed, Burundi’s fibre backbones will be connected to the international undersea networks of Eastern Africa, passing through Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania.

The BBS will be run on an open access basis which will grant all interested operators the necessary network capacity and allow them to become BBS shareholders in transparent and non-discriminatory conditions. This first project will act as a model in Africa and in developing countries worldwide.

Gide Loyrette Nouel, a leading international law firm in telecoms law and regulations, including in Africa, is delighted to have played a pivotal role in the successful conclusion of this project. The team comprised Rémy Fekete (Partner) and Céline Bourjolay (Senior Associate).