France Telecom is stepping up its expansion into anglophone Africa by taking its Orange mobile brand into Uganda.

The French telecoms group is joining forces with Hits Telecom Uganda, a new mobile operator owned by a group of Middle Eastern investors, which last year acquired a full telecommunications licence in the east African country of 30m people.

The licence, along with Hits’ existing GSM network, will be transferred into a joint venture to be called Orange Uganda. France Telecom will own 53 per cent of the venture, and provide roughly half the $200m investment planned over the next three years to roll out Hits’ existing network across the country. The Orange brand will be marketed to customers from next year.