News & Views

Content posted in September 2021

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.

Half of people without mobile broadband coverage live in sub-Saharan Africa

Paula Gilbert
9/29/2021

A new GSMA report shows sub-Saharan Africa is home to 47% of the world's population not covered by mobile broadband – an estimated 210 million people.

2Africa subsea cable to connect to South Asia

Paula Gilbert
9/28/2021

The 2Africa subsea cable system has announced yet another addition which will stretch to India, Pakistan and the Arabian Gulf making the cable the longest in the world.

Mobile financial services users have tripled since 2015

Paula Gilbert
9/27/2021

Nearly half of all consumers in sub-Saharan Africa are using mobile financial services in 2021, and users have tripled in the last six years, according to a new Ericsson report.

Customer experience is telco's next 'battleground'

Paula Gilbert
9/23/2021

South African social data and insights company BrandsEye thinks its unique blend of AI and human intelligence could help Africa's telcos face a battleground around customer service.

Chipper Cash launches in SA

Paula Gilbert
9/22/2021

African fintech startup, Chipper Cash, has made South Africa its seventh African country, with more expansions planned soon.

Kenyans can get Netflix for free

Paula Gilbert
9/21/2021

Streaming giant, Netflix, looks set on gaining new customers in Kenya, announcing it will offer a free version in the country.

Telkom SA to spin off and list towers business

Paula Gilbert
9/21/2021

Telkom South Africa is pursuing a separate listing of the group's masts and towers business, Swiftnet, on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

Vodafone, ITU drive smartphone adoption

Connecting Africa News
9/20/2021

Vodafone and the International Telecommunication Union are launching an initiative aimed at connecting 3.4 billion people to the Internet through a smartphone by 2030.

Virgin Mobile SA closes after 15 years

Paula Gilbert
9/17/2021

Cell C is switching off services for Virgin Mobile SA today, following the MVNO's announced plans to close up shop in SA after 15 years.

Omdia View: August 2021

Guest Perspectives
9/17/2021

Omdia's analysts provide context and analysis about MTN's decision to exit Syria and not bid again for an Ethiopian license, as well as 5G news from Mauritius, Ghana, Mayotte and Reunion.

Liquid, Project Taara beam broadband across Congo River

Paula Gilbert
9/16/2021

Liquid Intelligent Technologies and Alphabet's Project Taara have found a way to bridge a particularly stubborn connectivity gap between Brazzaville in the Republic of the Congo and Kinshasa in the DRC.

Nokia, ATU pledge to speed up Africa's digital transformation

Connecting Africa News
9/16/2021

The African Telecommunications Union and Nokia have pledged to speed up digital transformation in Africa, including plans to leverage the power of 5G networks and connect Africa's unconnected.

North Africa has world's slowest Internet

Paula Gilbert
9/15/2021

New data from Cable.co.uk shows North Africa has the world's slowest broadband speed on average, with sub-Saharan Africa in second-worst place.

MTN plans $35M investment in KZN following SA riots

Paula Gilbert
9/14/2021

MTN SA will invest over $35 million on network upgrades in KwaZulu-Natal with 30% going toward replacing stolen and vandalized network infrastructure following civil unrest and looting in July.

Vodacom SA goes green with more solar-powered sites

Connecting Africa News
9/13/2021

Vodacom South Africa has installed new solar-powered sites in Polokwane, Vereeniging and Bloemfontein worth R8 million (US$565,000).

SA operators will have to wait until 2022 for spectrum

Paula Gilbert
9/10/2021

South Africa's telcos are not getting more high-demand radio frequency spectrum anytime soon, after settlement talks between the regulator and some operators failed to reach an agreement this week.

MTN, Flutterwave cement fintech alliance

Connecting Africa News
9/9/2021

MTN MoMo is partnering with Flutterwave in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia.

US charges former Ericsson employee over Djibouti bribery scheme

Connecting Africa News
9/9/2021

US Federal indictment charges former Ericsson employee for alleged role in a scheme to pay about $2.1 million in bribes in Djibouti.

Africell is shutting its Ugandan business

Paula Gilbert
9/8/2021

Africell Group is exiting the Ugandan market after seven years 'for commercial reasons.'

M-Pesa tops 50M users

Connecting Africa News
9/7/2021

Mobile money pioneer reaches a major milestone of 50 million monthly active customers, doubling users over the past five years.

Africa Data Centres planning major expansion

Connecting Africa News
9/7/2021

Africa Data Centres is planning to build ten hyperscale data centers in ten African countries over the next two years, spending over US$500 million.

Safaricom begins hiring in Ethiopia

Paula Gilbert
9/6/2021

Safaricom plans to recruit 1,000 employees for its new Ethiopian business by June next year and is also launching a three-year graduate program in the country.

Orange has high hopes for mobile financial services in Africa

Paula Gilbert
9/3/2021

Orange EVP for mobile financial services, Patrick Roussel, spoke to Connecting Africa about the operator's evolution in Africa and plans for the future.

MTN Cameroon has been waiting two years to test 5G

Paula Gilbert
9/2/2021

MTN Cameroon has been waiting for two years to get approval from the regulator to test 5G.

SA operators to 'wind down' temporary spectrum usage

Paula Gilbert
9/1/2021

South African regulator ICASA is giving operators another three-month grace period to wind down their use of temporary radio frequency spectrum.

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