Startup 'Share' Aims to Rewire Africa's Internet with Open-Access Model

NAIROBI, Kenya – April 14, 2026 – By Tyler Nguyen

A venture-backed startup named Share has announced a dramatic expansion of its internet infrastructure network, claiming to now cover over 8 million people across East Africa in less than a year of operation. The company is championing an “open-access” model that it says enables local internet service providers (ISPs) to deliver speeds up to 100 times faster without increasing costs to consumers, a bold claim in a continent grappling with some of the highest connectivity costs in the world.

With a recent expansion into Nairobi, Share's network now reportedly incorporates thousands of kilometers of fiber optic cable, partnerships with 12 infrastructure providers, and access to 10 data centers and 6 subsea cable routes. The company's stated mission is to consolidate Africa's fragmented internet ecosystem, aiming to unlock affordable, high-speed connectivity for the world's youngest and fastest-growing population.

The Coordination Problem

Despite billions of dollars invested in laying subsea cables and terrestrial fiber across Africa, the promise of universal, affordable internet remains unfulfilled for many. More than 600 million people on the continent are still offline, and those with access often face a frustrating trade-off between speed, reliability, and cost. In some regions, connectivity can consume up to 30% of an individual's income.

According to Share’s co-founder, Luis Munoz Aycart, the bottleneck isn't a lack of raw capacity. “The issue isn't capacity. There are enough data centers, subsea cables and kilometers of fiber deployed to power entire regions,” Aycart stated in the announcement. “The problem is coordination across the internet supply chain, which is why speed and affordability are inaccessible for millions of households.”

Existing networks often operate in isolated silos, with major telecommunication firms controlling infrastructure that smaller, local ISPs cannot afford to access or build themselves. This fragmentation prevents the efficient distribution of bandwidth, creating artificial scarcity and keeping prices high.

Share's model attempts to solve this by acting as a neutral coordination layer. The company aggregates this underutilized infrastructure from major operators—including telcos, tower companies, and data centers—and creates a unified, shared network. Local ISPs can then tap into this network, purchasing bandwidth on a flexible, scalable basis without the prohibitive upfront capital expenditure of laying their own fiber. This approach, the company argues, dismantles the economic barriers that have kept local providers small and unable to compete on speed or price.

A New Business Model for Bandwidth

The strategy has attracted a cohort of early-stage investors, including Greenfield Capital, Kosmos VC, ZeePrime Capital, and Generative Ventures. For them, the appeal lies in the model’s potential for disruption and scale.

“What stood out to us was the clarity of the model,” said Anies Khan, an investor at Greenfield Capital. “Share turns a highly fragmented market into a coordinated network, enabling local providers to grow, scale, and deliver step-change improvements in internet speed and reliability.”

Instead of charging massive fixed fees for capacity, Share's revenue is tied directly to the success of its ISP partners. The company takes a small fee from each end-user connected through its network. This symbiotic relationship means Share doesn't just benefit from the growth of local ISPs; its entire business model is predicated on actively fueling that growth. By removing the cost ceiling for providers, it aims to create a flywheel effect: as ISPs connect more customers with faster, cheaper internet, Share’s revenue grows, allowing it to further expand the network.

This approach is part of a broader trend toward infrastructure sharing in Africa, which is increasingly seen as essential for accelerating connectivity. By creating a wholesale marketplace for bandwidth, Share also provides large infrastructure owners with a new way to monetize their assets, selling excess capacity to a wider market of smaller providers.

Navigating a Complex Digital Landscape

Share enters a dynamic but challenging market. In Kenya, its initial theater of operations, the internet landscape is dominated by established players like Safaricom, Zuku, and Faiba. At the same time, the concept of open-access infrastructure is already being pioneered by companies like WIOCC, whose Open Access Metro division is also building wholesale fiber networks to be used by multiple service providers.

The startup's claims of enabling 100x speeds are ambitious in a market where monthly prices for a basic 10 Mbps plan can be significant for the average household. While the potential for disruption is clear, the path is fraught with logistical and regulatory hurdles. Expanding digital infrastructure in Africa requires navigating a complex patchwork of national policies, securing licenses from regulatory bodies like the Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK), and overcoming fundamental challenges like inconsistent power supplies.

The Kenyan government has established a Universal Service Fund (USF) to promote connectivity in underserved areas, and its national ICT policies are generally supportive of new investment. However, regulations can be stringent, often including local equity participation requirements for licensees.

From Infrastructure to Economic Impact

The ultimate promise of ventures like Share extends far beyond faster streaming and downloads. Studies have consistently shown a direct correlation between internet penetration and economic growth. One report suggests a 10% increase in mobile broadband penetration in Africa can yield a 2.5% increase in GDP per capita. Affordable, reliable internet is a foundational pillar for modern economies, unlocking opportunities in education, healthcare, and commerce.

Enhanced connectivity enables telemedicine systems to reach remote communities, allows farmers to access online markets, and empowers small businesses with digital payment and logistics tools. However, realizing this potential requires more than just laying cable. A significant digital literacy gap persists, and without parallel efforts in education and training, the expansion of broadband risks becoming a “hollow promise” for millions.

Share's journey began with a test network in Mombasa, where it onboarded its first infrastructure partners. Its expansion into the bustling urban market of Nairobi marks a critical test of its model's scalability. With plans to push into additional cities and regions across the continent this year, the company is betting that by fixing the broken economics of the internet supply chain, it can unleash a new wave of digital transformation across Africa.