African Rainbow Capital, a fully black owned and controlled investment company, has acquired a 20% stake in fixed and mobile data network operator Rain.

“We focus on South African and African businesses that deliver exceptional returns on equity, and it is exciting to invest in a company that is at the start of its growth trajectory”, said Johan van Zyl, ARC co-CEO. 

“There is great demand in our country for fast, reliable and affordable data coverage and Rain promises to deliver just that.”

Driven by innovative thinking and the very latest technology, Rain is building a ‘next generation’ LTE-Advanced network, making connectivity simpler, transparent, faster and more affordable. 

To date Rain has rolled out over 1 000 sites and 1 500 base stations, and is on track to meet its target of 2 000 sites by the end of the year and 5 000 within three years. 

Duncan Simpson-Craib, Rain CEO, commented: “The additional capital raised from ARC, over and above the funding already in place, ensures that we have the capital to achieve our aggressive rollout targets over the next three years.”

Rain has recently entered into an agreement whereby Internet Solutions and its partners will provide clients with wireless broadband services powered by the Rain network. 

The LTE Advanced network, referred to as ‘fibre-in-the-sky’, is ideally positioned to be a pioneer in the future rollout of 5G networks.

Paul Harris, Rain Chairman, said: “We are delighted to partner with ARC and look forward to the strategic value they bring to the team. In addition they enhance our already significant BEE ownership credentials.”