US-funded media house Eye Radio broadcasting in Juba will partner with telecommunications company Zain to expand its broadcast reach by setting up radio repeaters in six new locations.

The phone company Zain has already built phone towers and communications infrastructure in many parts of South Sudan.

According to a press release from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the partnership launched on 11 February will expand the reach of Eye Radio's broadcasts, allowing them to be repeated to listeners in other states.

"This new partnership with Zain will enable expansion of Eye Radio broadcasts from Juba to other parts of South Sudan, beginning with Torit, which will reach approximately 100,000 listeners in Eastern Equatoria State," reads the statement. 

Installation of radio repeater equipment will then also take place in Wau, Rumbek, Kwajok, Aweil, Bor and Yambio, according to the Zain-USAID joint plan. 

USAID says that it is also funding an upcoming distribution of approximately 50,000 solar-powered, hand-crank radios to South Sudanese communities that lack access to radio.