Diesel shortage knocks out mobile networks and mobile money in Congo

According to a 27 October report in Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, ARPCE checks with operators found that daily grid power averages just nine hours. Backup batteries add only six hours of autonomy, leaving base stations dependent on diesel generators for the rest of the day. Helios Towers, which runs the base station infrastructure, needs about 100,000 litres of diesel a week, or 400,000 litres a month, for its 550 towers in the country. The outages hit not only towers but also network cores and data centres. Because rural sites depend on equipment in the big cities, failures cascade through the system.

Ecofin reports that ARPCE has referred the situation to the Prime Minister's office and is working with the national oil company SNPC to improve fuel supply. The regulator warned that the outages seen on 27 October will continue until the energy situation improves. The cause of the shortage and an end date have not been disclosed. A GSMA report from November 2024 says fuel purchase and transport account for 30-60% of operator costs in many African countries. The same report finds diesel-generated power in the region three to four times more expensive than grid electricity.