Data Centres & Networks Bayobab teams with Seeker to launch AI-as-a-service in Africa MTN’s digital infrastructure arm Bayobab said on Thursday it has signed an MoU with US-based AI company Seekr Technologies to offer...
Investment IHS Towers completes sale of Rwanda tower business to Paradigm Global independent tower company IHS Towers announced on Thursday that it has officially completed the sale of its Rwanda unit and its...
Operators Adapt to survive: how African operators keep their value proposition relevant In a recent feature, I explored how operators are reducing their capex by turning to alternatives for RAN, including Infrastructure as a Service...
Optical & Fixed Networks Nokia helps South Africa’s fibertime to connect underserved communities South African company fibertime, which says its aim is to connect townships to affordable world-class internet, is working with tech giant Nokia...
Enterprise Ecosystems Seacom and Sentech aim to boost South Africa’s telecoms SMMEs Subsea cable operator and managed connectivity service provider Seacom says it has signed an MoU with broadcast and digital services...
Data Centres & Networks Raxio, Laser Light to boost internet services in seven African markets African data centre operator Raxio Group says it has signed an agreement with digital network operator Laser Light Africa to accelerate internet...
Energy & Sustainability Botswana and Nigeria to house renewable energy-powered data centres Botswana and Nigeria are in the data centre news after recent announcements signalling plans to develop facilities in both countries powered, in...
Satellite Networks Will Mauritania join the African space race? The government of Mauritania has indicated that it intends to develop a national space programme focused on nanosatellites to strengthen...
Wireless Networks MTN South Africa and Ericsson complete 5G core modernisation Ericsson said on Monday that MTN South Africa has successfully completed its core network modernisation project that will give its mobile...
Operators From IaaS to outsourced networks: does cutting capex cost control? Deploying a mobile network has never been cheap, but the scale of the intensive capital expenditure required is increasingly pushing smaller...
Vendors Qvantel acquires Optiva to scale up AI-enabled BSS portfolio Finland-based business support systems (BSS) provider Qvantel announced it is acquiring rival Optiva, in a move aimed at expanding its scale and...
Humanitarian Comms World Bank Group approves Zambian digitisation project The World Bank Group has approved the Digital Zambia Acceleration Project (DZAP), a project that aims to support Zambian government efforts to...
Optical & Fixed Networks USTDA funds study to extend Medusa cable along Africa's west coast The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has agreed to fund a feasibility study for a plan to extend AFR-IX Telecom’s Medusa subsea cable...
Operators Loc8 enters Namibia’s 5G race with 2026 launch plan Loc8 has reportedly entered Namibia’s 5G arena, aiming to launch its network in Q1 2026 after years of securing telecoms licences for both 4G and...
Investment Airtel Chad plans major network upgrade Operator Airtel Chad is reportedly planning a XAF50 billion (about US$90 million) investment plan aimed at improving network quality and...
Mobile Finance Safaricom announces biggest M-Pesa upgrade in ten years A scheduled upgrade to its M-Pesa mobile finance service, announced last week by Kenyan operator Safaricom, was successfully completed today. It...
Mobile Finance How will Senegal’s planned mobile taxes affect economic development? Late last week, the Finance and Budgetary Control Committee of the National Assembly of Senegal adopted a bill taxing digital financial services,...
Regulation Law changes, grants and new strategic plans announced for Zambia’s ICT sector It’s been a busy week for ICT in Zambia with the approval of two new bills for the digital economy, a new strategic plan announced by Zambia's...
Customer Management Jumia teams up with financing group to boost Kenyan smartphone sales Ongoing efforts to make smartphones affordable to more Africans while still ensuring a margin for sellers are continuing. In fact, this week has...
Operators NCC approves MTN Nigeria spectrum deal with T2 Mobile There’s been an interesting new development in the ongoing story of the repositioning of Nigerian operator 9mobile as T2 Mobile. It involves a...
Data Centres & Networks MTN in talks to build AI data centres across Africa MTN Group is reportedly in discussions with US and European companies to develop the infrastructure needed to power AI services.
Data Centres & Networks Cassava Technologies to build five African AI factories Cassava Technologies founder Strive Masiyiwa has announced plans to build five AI factories in Africa over the next 12 months.
Investment Vodacom Tanzania plans major technology modernisation investment According to local news reports, operator Vodacom Tanzania is planning a number of technology modernisation programmes likely to involve an...
Wireless Networks Airtel Zambia and IHS Zambia make progress on tower rollout marathon Airtel Zambia and tower company IHS Zambia are making good time on their plan with the Zambian government to expand network reach in Zambia, with...
Mobile Finance Onafriq and Visa launch Visa Pay in DRC for wallet interoperability African digital payments network Onafriq said it has formed a strategic partnership with Visa to launch Visa Pay, a cloud-native...
Operators Airtel Gabon and Moov Africa-Gabon Telecom to share infrastructure Airtel Gabon and Moov Africa-Gabon Telecom signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Thursday to share digital infrastructure, which they say...
Operators Vodacom commits ZAR435m to boost Northern Gauteng connectivity Vodacom pledged to invest ZAR435 million (US$25 million) into the Northern Gauteng Area of South Africa this financial year to meet growing...
Data Centres & Networks DPA and iXAfrica announce African data centre partnership Digital Parks Africa (DPA), a South African-owned data centre provider, has partnered with iXAfrica Data Centres, which owns and operates...
Enterprise Ecosystems New Safaricom bundles target Kenya’s ride-hailing drivers Safaricom said on Tuesday it has launched two new tailored solutions aimed at ride-hailing drivers and boda boda operators (a.k.a. bicycle and...
Wireless Networks Has the industry Open RAN away from the ecosystem? Open RAN (O-RAN) has long been touted as a disruptive technology in mobile infrastructure with the concept of splitting the RAN into three...
Regulation 3.1 billion people remain offline despite mobile internet coverage Around 3.1 billion people are not connected to the internet despite living in coverage areas, highlighting a massive global usage gap.
Investment GSMA warns Ghana’s growth is held back by connectivity usage gap Industry body the GSMA has warned that a large connectivity usage gap is limiting Ghana’s economic potential.
Data Centres & Networks LINX to take over Asteroid’s Kenyan interconnection operations The London Internet Exchange (LINX) announced on Monday it has signed a co-operative agreement with internet exchange incubator Asteroid to take...
Operators Ghana hires KPMG to advise on AT Ghana, Telecel merger talks The Ghanaian government has reportedly appointed KPMG to advance plans to
Regulation Digital lending in the spotlight in Kenya and Nigeria Can countries balance access to an undoubtedly popular and convenient service with an effective response to predatory lending practices,...
Mobile Finance Visa Pay mobile solution comes to DRC Digital payments giant Visa has announced the launch of Visa Pay, a mobile solution that provides access to digital payments and...
Operators Will Nigeria’s 9mobile enjoy success after rebrand as T2 Mobile? There has been a flurry of announcements from Nigerian operator T2 Mobile in recent weeks. If that name doesn’t seem familiar, that may well be...
Cyber Security Nigeria partners Kaspersky to address cybercrime Nigeria’s National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Kaspersky Global, a...
Operators Vodacom commits $22 million to expand Eastern Cape network Vodacom Eastern Cape will invest more than ZAR400 million (US$22 million) in its network this financial year to expand coverage, boost capacity...
Operators Ghanaian govt will merge AT and Telecel to take on dominant MTN Ghana’s Ministry for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations has reportedly revealed plans to merge telecoms players AT and Telecel in...
Mobile Finance Orange names Thierry Millet as CEO of Orange Money Group Orange has appointed Thierry Millet (pictured) as CEO of Orange Money Group, replacing Aminata Kane.
Service Management Tanzania plans tower rollout to boost coverage The Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation (TTCL), which operates and maintains all types of telecommunications networks, including ICT systems...
Consumer Ecosystems KaliSpot kiosks enhance cash access in Senegal In what it calls a decisive turning point in its mission to bring finance and essential services closer to citizens, everywhere, for everyone,...
Operators Paratus challenges incumbents with Namibia private 5G launch Africa-focused telecoms firm Paratus Group has launched a private 4G/5G network in Namibia, positioning itself to compete with...
Energy & Sustainability Vodacom’s virtual wheeling platform for renewable energy is live South African telco Vodacom announced on Wednesday that its virtual wheeling solution is now live, enabling it to purchase renewable energy for...
Operators Safaricom at 25: Ndegwa eyes growth in Ethiopia Next month marks Safaricom’s 25th anniversary. CEO Peter Ndegwa (pictured) was in London to reflect on the operator’s journey - from a subsidiary...
Wireless Networks Indus Towers sets sights on African markets where Airtel operates Bharti Airtel-controlled telecoms tower firm Indus Towers revealed on Tuesday it is making plans to expand operations outside of India into...
Satellite Networks DRC eyes satellite launch with Monacosat to bridge digital divide The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has confirmed that talks are still ongoing with satellite company Monacosat over...
Regulation Chad tells operators to connect to its national fibre backbone The government of Chad late last week ordered mobile operators Airtel and Moov Africa to connect to its national fibre-optic backbone within...
Operators MTN and Vodacom announce technology deployment firsts Two of Africa’s biggest operators – Vodacom and MTN – have, coincidentally, announced technology deployment firsts for the continent in the past...
