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Welcome to Connecting Africa

Ray Le Maistre
11/9/2016

Africa's digital communications, services and entertainment market deserves an A-grade online community, and now it's got one.

What Mobile Technology Suits Africa Right Now?

Bradley Shaw
8/16/2017

More mobile network coverage is needed across Africa, but some mobile network technologies are more suitable than others if the unconnected are to be reached quickly and efficiently, argues Bradley Shaw.

Orange, Vodafone Eye Stake in Etisalat Nigeria – Report

Ray Le Maistre
7/3/2017

The restructuring of debt-laden mobile operator Etisalat Nigeria may lead to a takeover by a major international player, according to local reports.

Kenya, Ghana dominate mobile payment utilization rates

Paula Gilbert
9/17/2020

Kenya and Ghana have the second and third highest mobile payment rates after global leader China, according to a new report from Boston Consulting Group.

MTN dominates market share in over half its operations

Paula Gilbert
4/9/2020

MTN has the biggest market share in 13 out of the 21 countries where it operates mobile networks in Africa and the Middle East.

Analyzing South Africa's Controversial 4G Wholesale Plan

Guy Zibi
1/10/2018

Guy Zibi from Xalam Analytics takes stock of South Africa's proposed 4G wholesale experiment and how it could impact multiple markets.

The Most Expensive Data Prices in Africa

Paula Gilbert
12/18/2019

According to stats from Research ICT Africa, eSwatini has the most expensive data prices in Africa and Egypt has the cheapest.

Africa Racing Towards Gigabit Connectivity

Guy Zibi
11/21/2016

Current FTTH broadband penetration may be limited in Africa, but there are signs of an ultra-broadband revolution made even more notable by the unique nature of some of its characteristics, notes Guy Zibi, principal at Xalam Analytics.

Orange Targets Long-Term Growth in Africa

Ray Le Maistre
1/4/2017

Orange senior exec pinpoints immediate and long-term growth opportunities in Africa, with digital services at the heart of the operator's strategy.

Cost of 4G Damaging Africa’s LTE Ambitions - Report

Tim Skinner
1/9/2017

Research reveals LTE handset costs and coverage issues are the biggest barriers to African operators' 4G ambitions.

African Telcos Open Up on AI, Digital Transformation

Tim Skinner
2/10/2017

AI-as-a-service touted as the next big thing for data analysis, but gaining cultural buy-in is key, according to two of Africa's biggest operators.

Now Vodafone Egypt Invests in Improved Customer Experience

Ray Le Maistre
4/21/2017

Is 2017 the year for customer experience-centric investments by Africa's communications service providers?

MTN Ghana boasts double-digit Q1 growth

Paula Gilbert
5/5/2020

MTN Ghana saw Q1 service revenue jump 20%, buoyed by double-digit growth in its voice, data and Mobile Money revenue.

Liquid Telecom to Raise $700M

Ray Le Maistre
6/26/2017

Ambitious network operator to refinance debt and fund further growth following Neotel acquisition.

Blue Label to Buy 3G Mobile for 1.9B Rand

Ray Le Maistre
6/29/2017

South African m-commerce and pre-paid voice specialist is buying mobile device distributor 3G Mobile as a bolt on to its existing business and that of its impending mobile operator business, Cell C.

Introducing AfricaCom charity partner: CodeSpace Trust

Africa Tech Perspectives
6/11/2020

Founder Emma Dicks shares the origin story of South Africa's CodeSpace, which is helping young people learn the skills to excel in technology careers.

What's Next for Nigeria's Mobile Market?

Ray Le Maistre
7/19/2017

As the 9mobile brand replaces Etisalat Nigeria, speculation links Airtel to a possible market consolidation move.

Research Bites: Factors influencing fintech adoption in Nigeria

Guest Perspectives
5/7/2021

This article is a collaboration with the African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development and explores the factors impacting the adoption of financial services technology in Lagos, Nigeria.

Hot startup of the month: Bus-based Wi-Fi platform MCT

Tom Jackson
9/30/2021

Connectivity startup MCT is providing free Wi-Fi to commuters using public transport in a number of African countries and has major pan-African expansion plans.

MTN & Airtel inch closer to banking licenses in Nigeria

Paula Gilbert
11/8/2021

Airtel Africa and MTN have received 'approval in principle' from the Central Bank of Nigeria to operate payment service banks – a step forward for their fintech plans.

Charles Molapisi is new MTN SA CEO

Paula Gilbert
1/3/2022

Former MTN Group CTIO, Charles Molapisi, is now the CEO of MTN SA, replacing Godfrey Motsa who stepped down on January 1, 2022.

Why MTN wants to buy Telkom SA – analysts

Paula Gilbert
7/20/2022

Analysts weigh in on MTN's hopes of buying Telkom South Africa – what it would mean for the SA market and whether the deal has a chance with the competition authorities.

Uber expands into more African cities, beefs up security

Matshepo Sehloho
9/7/2022

Uber Sub-Saharan Africa is expanding into eight more cities across Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana, and has introduced various safety features and other new products.

Nigeria leads African tech startup funding, fintech dominates

Paula Gilbert
9/15/2022

Nigeria has received the most tech startup funding in Africa over the last eight years, and fintech companies are the main driver, according to a new report from Disrupt Africa.

MultiChoice acquires emergency-assist app Namola

Matshepo Sehloho
9/26/2022

South African pay-tv operator, MultiChoice, is expanding beyond video entertainment by buying emergency-assistance app Namola.

Safaricom, Google partner to boost content creation on YouTube

Matshepo Sehloho
10/21/2022

Kenyan telecommunications operator Safaricom has signed a deal with Google to promote YouTube shorts on the platform.

ATF 2022: Government departments need digital training

Matshepo Sehloho
11/10/2022

Mafikeng Digital Innovation Hub CEO, Joseph Ndaba, told Africa Tech Festival that African government departments need more training to understand emerging technologies.

Nigerian ride-hailing union threaten strike against Uber, Bolt

Matshepo Sehloho
4/18/2023

The Amalgamated Union of App-based Transport Workers of Nigeria (AUATWON) is threatening to protest against Uber and Bolt's alleged attempts to have its license revoked.

Four African cloud startups to watch in 2024

Matshepo Sehloho
1/25/2024

Connecting Africa has compiled a list of four cloud-powered startups that have been making an impact on the lives of the communities they serve and are worth watching in 2024.

Etisalat Nigeria to Become 9Mobile

Ray Le Maistre
7/14/2017

Troubled operator decides on a new name as it seeks to start afresh.

Airtel, Samsung in smartphone financing deal

Paula Gilbert
10/7/2020

Airtel Africa is partnering with Mastercard, Samsung and Asante Financial Services to launch a smartphone financing project as a way to entice users to upgrade from feature phones to smartphones.

Nigerian Internet and mobile penetration grows

Paula Gilbert
2/16/2021

DataReportal's Digital 2021 report on Nigeria shows that Internet users increased 22% and mobile connections grew 10% between January 2020 and January 2021.

The state of mobile broadband affordability in Africa

Paula Gilbert
5/4/2021

If you look at the price of mobile data as a percentage of average income, 8 out of the 10 most expensive countries in the world are in Africa according to A4AI.

MTN has zero-rated 120M MoMo transactions during COVID-19 outbreak

Paula Gilbert
6/12/2020

MTN believes COVID-19 has triggered acceleration toward cashless, digital economies in Africa.

Amazon is creating 3,000 new jobs in SA

Paula Gilbert
6/19/2020

The e-commerce giant is adding 3,000 full-time positions in customer service, bringing its total permanent workforce in South Africa to 7,000.

African operators reinstate mobile money fees

Paula Gilbert
6/24/2020

Some operators have started to reinstate mobile money transfer fees that were waived three months ago when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit the continent.

Telkom enters SA's mobile financial services race

Paula Gilbert
8/4/2020

Telkom South Africa is offering insurance and lending products with big plans to grow financial services into a significant revenue stream for the group.

Airtel and Telkom Kenya call off merger

Paula Gilbert
8/7/2020

The planned merger between Telkom Kenya and Airtel has been shelved about 18 months since the pair first agreed terms.

Nigeria sees mobile subs boom – Ericsson

Paula Gilbert
9/8/2020

According to the latest Ericsson Mobility Report stats, Africa added 12 million new mobile subscriptions during Q2 2020, half of which were in Nigeria.

East Africa's digital economy needs progressive policy – Kenyan regulator

Paula Gilbert
9/14/2020

Communications Authority of Kenya's Mercy Wanjau told East Africa Com digital economies must have progressive policy and regulation on spectrum, data protection and digital taxation.

Nigerian WiFi Services Startup Raises $2.1M

Ray Le Maistre
6/30/2017

Tizeti, a.k.a. Wifi.com.ng, has raised more than $2 million in seed funding that will enable it to expand its network of solar-powered WiFi towers in Lagos and beyond.

The Evolution of the West African Telco Partnership: West Africa Com Interview with Robert Aouad

Amy Turner
6/28/2017

Connecting Africa talks to Robert Aouad, CEO at Benin ISP and data services specialist Isocel.

Exclusive: MTN Zambia and Vanu to provide off-grid connectivity

Paula Gilbert
5/19/2020

Vanu has been selected by MTN to extend mobile connectivity to Zambia's off-grid communities.

Hot startup of the month: Nigeria's Crop2Cash

Tom Jackson
5/26/2020

Crop2Cash is addressing financing gaps for Nigerian farmers by making formal financing a transparent process and helping responsible farmers get access to capital.

COVID-19 puts major dent in Africa's smartphone market

Paula Gilbert
6/10/2020

Africa's first-quarter smartphone shipments saw one of the largest dips in five years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

African Mobile Capital Expenditure Makes a Fragile Recovery

Guy Zibi
5/8/2017

The year-on-year decline in Africa mobile operator capex has halted but network equipment vendors shouldn't get too excited just yet.

Microsoft Plans Cloud Services Launch in Africa in 2018

Ray Le Maistre
5/19/2017

IT giant will open two major data centers in South Africa to support the launch of Microsoft Azure, Office 365 and Dynamics 365.

Safaricom Boasts Enhanced 4G Service With LTE-A Deployments

Ray Le Maistre
6/2/2017

Kenyan operator says it has upgraded its 4G network in major urban areas to offer ultra-broadband mobile services.

Intelsat, Eutelsat Boost Their Satellite Credentials Across Africa

Ray Le Maistre
6/9/2017

As Intelsat lands a new customer, Eutelsat's Konnect Africa operation launches services in multiple countries.

Lighting Opportunities in Africa

Amy Turner
3/3/2017

Highlights from Thione Niang's keynote address at AfricaCom, where he spoke about igniting change on the continent.

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Omdia View: January 2024

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Highlights in January 2024 in the Middle East and Africa included a $200 million fintech deal between MTN and Mastercard as well as 5G network trials by Telecom Egypt – that and more in this month's Omdia View.

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