Orange launched its brand in Sierra Leone, following its acquisition of Airtel’s business in the country, with the company talking up the potential for the business within its African operations.

“As part of Orange, it will gain access to the Group’s expertise, technical know-how and an extensive product and service portfolio. With its considerable presence on the African continent, a strategic focus for the group, Orange offers strong growth potential for its Sierra Leonean operation,” the company said in a statement.

Sierra Leone’s population stands at around 7 million people and offers a “significant potential for growth in mobile services”. Earlier this year, Orange Sierra Leone revealed a modernisation and expansion plan to enhance the reliability, coverage and quality of its network, and invested $33 million since the acquisition.

Sekou Drame, CEO of Orange Sierra Leone, said: “The launch of the Orange brand comes with a promise to meet the emerging needs of customers with innovative, affordable and relevant solutions that will empower consumers, giving them the freedom to do what they choose and provide them with the tools to meet life’s daily challenges.”

According to GSMA Intelligence, Orange’s new venture will have around 1.6 million total connections in the country, making it the second largest player behind Africell (Lintel), which counts 3.7 million connections. Smaller players Smart Mobile (Intergroup Telecom) and Sierratel rank a distant third and fourth, with 310,000 and 148,000 connections respectively.

Orange first revealed its plan to acquire Airtel Sierra Leone in January 2016, a deal it completed in July 2016, in partnership with Senegal-based partner Sonatel. Orange counts 50 million customers in 16 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa.