Orange leads consortium for new Atlantic cable connecting Europe and Africa
AFRICA 09:25

Orange leads consortium for new Atlantic cable connecting Europe and Africa

Orange Group and its subsidiaries Sonatel and Orange Cote d'Ivoire, along with the companies Canalink, Guilab, International Mauritania Telecom and Silverlinks signed a memorandum of understanding to launch the Via Africa submarine cable project. The initiative aims to boost international connectivity, accommodate rising traffic, and improve network resilience throughout the African continent. This system will connect Europe to South Africa via a strategic Atlantic route, with landing points in the UK, Fran

Tunisia launches Tunpay label to unify mobile payments sector
TUNISIA 09:01

Tunisia launches Tunpay label to unify mobile payments sector

The Banque Centrale de Tunisie (BCT) launched Tunpay, a unified national payments label and regulatory requirement for all financial institutions in Tunisia, designed to address market fragmentation and accelerate the country's transition toward a cashless economy. Developed in partnership with Societe Monetique Tunisie (SMT), the initiative seeks to standardize the identification of mobile payment services for the general public, making them more visible and easier for users to recognize.

IHS Towers revenue rises 6% in Q1
AFRICA 12 MEI

IHS Towers revenue rises 6% in Q1

IHS Holding said revenue from continuing operations increased by 6 percent year-on-year to USD 415.4 million in the first quarter. The figure excludes revenue of USD 51.8 million for the Latin American segment, presented within discontinued operations pending the sale of the activities. IHS said it also had a 3.7 percent headwind from the disposal of its Rwanda operations in October 2025. 

Orange commits to train 3 mln youth by 2030 to boost African digital transformation
AFRICA 12 MEI

Orange commits to train 3 mln youth by 2030 to boost African digital transformation

Orange announced a roadmap to accelerate digital growth in Africa, pledging new investments in youth training, entrepreneurship, connectivity, and the development of inclusive AI. The commitment was made during the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya which brought together French and African leaders in a non-Francophone country to forge new business and political alliances.

MTN Group service revenue rises 21% in Q1
AFRICA 12 MEI

MTN Group service revenue rises 21% in Q1

MTN Group said its service increased by 21.1 percent in constant currency to ZAR 56.86 billion in the first three months of 2026. In reported currency, service revenue increased by 20 percent. The results were led by sustained commercial execution in Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and Cote d'Ivoire, the company said. 

Datatec forecasts higher FY earnings
AFRICA 11 MEI

Datatec forecasts higher FY earnings

ICT group Datatec said it expects to report headline earnings per share (HEPS) of between USD 0.385 and USD 0.405 for the financial year ended 28 February 2026, marking a 51 percent to 59 percent increase over the previous year. Underlying earnings per share (EPS) are expected to be between USD 0.47 and USD 0.49, up by between 31.7 percent and 37.3. It said EPS is expected to be between USD 0.38 and USD 0.40, up by 47.9 percent to 55.6 percent. It had a strong second-half performance, particularly from West

Canal Plus launches Supersport ad campaign in Africa for World Cup
AFRICA 11 MEI

Canal Plus launches Supersport ad campaign in Africa for World Cup

MultiChoice's SuperSport is launching a major advertising campaign in over 20 English and Portuguese-speaking African nations to coincide with the kick-off of the Fifa World Cup 2026 men's football tournament. This is the first collaboration between BETC, which has been Canal Plus' creative partner for four decades, and a MultiChoice Group brand. The slogan is "Sleep can wait".

Vodacom Group FY revenue rises 10%
AFRICA 11 MEI

Vodacom Group FY revenue rises 10%

Vodacom Group said its revenue grew 10.1 percent year-on-year to ZAR 167.7 billion in the fiscal year ended March 2026. In normalised currency, revenue rose by 12.2 percent. Service revenue grew 10.6 percent to ZAR 133.6 billion, or 12.9 percent on a normalised basis, in line with the African operator's double-digit medium term target. This result was supported by strong performances in Egypt, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Lesotho, alongside resilience in South Africa and Mozambique,

Moroccan govt signs deal with Huawei to expand telemedicine infrastructure
MOROCCO 8 MEI

Moroccan govt signs deal with Huawei to expand telemedicine infrastructure

Morocco's ministry of health has partnered with Huawei Morocco and Dott Medical to modernise primary healthcare through telemedicine, Wearetech reported. Their agreement signed at Gitex Future Health Africa focuses on deploying digital infrastructure, remote consultation platforms and upgrading medical equipment to improve rural access. Morocco is gradually expanding universal health coverage and efforts to reduce disparities in access to treatment. The country has about seven doctors per 10,000 inhabitants

Algerian govt and telecoms regulator discuss ways to improve coverage on main road networks
ALGERIA 8 MEI

Algerian govt and telecoms regulator discuss ways to improve coverage on main road networks

Algerian authorities have ordered telecom operators to strengthen mobile coverage along strategic highways or face potential penalties, Ecofin reported. A meeting on 06 May chaired by ICT minister Sid Ali Zerrouki with the head of the Regulatory Authority for Posts and Electronic Communications (ARPCE) reviewed the state of telecommunication networks and service quality across the country. It focused particularly on coverage and service quality along the East-West Highway, after the expiry of deadlines prev

Airtel Africa FY revenue rises by 30%, plans mobile money IPO in H2
AFRICA 8 MEI

Airtel Africa FY revenue rises by 30%, plans mobile money IPO in H2

Airtel Africa has posted a 29.5 percent year-on-year increase in revenue in reported currency to USD 6.42 billion in the fiscal year ended March from USD 4.96 billion the previous year. In constant, currency revenue rose by 24 percent. The growth reflects attractive industry fundamentals and focused operational execution, supported by tariff adjustments in Nigeria and macroeconomic tailwinds, the mobile operator said. Airtel said constant currency growth in Francophone Africa and Nigeria was particularly en

Smart Africa and UN Institute for Disarmament Research sign MoU to promote cybersecurity and emerging technology policy
AFRICA 7 MEI

Smart Africa and UN Institute for Disarmament Research sign MoU to promote cybersecurity and emerging technology policy

Smart Africa and the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at Geneva Cyber Week 2026 to enhance cybersecurity and emerging technology policy in Africa. The partnership was formalised by Smart Africa CEO Lacina Kone and UNIDIR director Robin Geiss. It focuses on capacity building, implementing international cyber norms, and developing forward-looking policies to strengthen African digital resilience.  The MoU will support African countries

AFRICA 7 MEI

Helios Towers revenue rises 12% in Q1

Helios Towers has reported a 12 percent year-on-year rise in revenue to USD 229.2 million in the first quarter ended March from USD 203.8 million, The increase was driven by tenancy growth, with mobile network operators continuing to expand coverage to meet growing data demands, in addition to CPI escalations and favourable foreign exchange movements. Adjusted EBITDA climbed by 14 percent to USD 127.2 million from USD 111.1 million and the margin expanded by 1 percentage point to 56 percent, driven by margi

AFRICA 6 MEI

Airtel Africa calls for tax cuts on telecom equipment to accelerate digital inclusion

Airtel Africa has called on African governments to recognise telecommunications as a core economic pillar and to implement two specific tax reforms that it says could dramatically accelerate digital inclusion across the continent. Airtel Africa chief regulatory officer and Chair of GSMA Africa's Policy Group, Daddy Mukadi called forthe changes in a speech at the 'Etats Generaux du Secteur des Postes et Telecommunications' in Kinshasa. 

AFRICA 6 MEI

Kenyan president calls for progress in One Network Area

Kenyan president William Ruto has again called for deeper telecom integration in East Africa, urging partner states to fully implement the One Network Area (ONA) to cut cross-border communication costs and boost regional connectivity. Speaking at the Kenya-Tanzania Business Forum in Dar es Salaam, Ruto said that fully harmonising mobile networks is essential for a more connected region. He said progress has already been made some parts, with phone calls from Kenya to Uganda and Rwanda treated as local ones,

AFRICA 5 MEI

MTN Group confirms Savage as head of global sourcing and supply chain

MTN Group announced the appointment of Andrew Savage as executive for global sourcing and supply chain (GSSC), effective 1 May. Savage brings more than two decades of global sourcing and supply chain experience, most recently leading the Group's Procurement Excellence function and providing executive oversight of the GSSC function in an acting capacity. Over the years, he has led several strategic initiatives across MTN's markets, including the digitalisation of procurement processes and operating model.

TUNISIA 5 MEI

Anritsu deploys wireless test infrastructure at CERT Tunisia to support device certification

Anritsu EMEA said it has equipped Tunisia's national testing authority (CERT) with a comprehensive wireless test solution to support the centre's capabilities as the country's primary hub for telecommunications certification and research. This installation provides CERT's laboratory with a platform covering everything from 2G to 5G NR, including IoT and WLAN. This allows the authority to validate all wireless devices entering the Tunisian market across the entire connectivity spectrum. The solution was deli

AFRICA 5 MEI

Vodacom Group sees FY earnings grow 20-25%

Vodacom Group said that it expects earnings per share to increase by between 20 percent and 25 percent for its fiscal year ended 31 March compared to EPS of ZAR 8.59 reported for the previous year. This translates to an EPS range of ZAR 10.31 to ZAR 10.74. The result is consistent with Vodacom's Vision 2030 target for double-digit EBITDA growth, it added, while headline earnings per share (HEPS) is expected to rise from ZAR 8.57 to between ZAR 10.28 and ZAR 10.71.

AFRICA 4 MEI

Malawian govt urges speedy implementation of One Africa Network

At the closing of the Connect Summit 2026, Malawian ICT minister Shadric Namalomba has called for urgent implementation of the 'One Africa Network' (OAN). His keynote speech addressed the immediate necessity of the OAN to lower roaming charges and communication costs across African borders, which he said remain hurdles to African economic unity. He urged member states to prioritise harmonising regulatory frameworks to allow a more seamless digital economy.

ALGERIA 4 MEI

Djezzy forms partnership to set up AventureCloudz AI development platform

Algerian mobile operator Djezzy has formed a partnership with Algeria Venture and Taubyte to launch AventureCloudz, a full stack AI development platform. It is hosted on Djezzy Cloud and aims to accelerate artificial intelligence development for local start-ups and talent, promoting digital sovereignty and reducing reliance on foreign cloud providers. Taubyte supplies the technology behind the system. It plugs into Algeria Venture's support programmes to democratise access to modern cloud infrastructure.

AFRICA 30 APR

Huawei launches upgraded Xinghe Intelligent Network for northern Africa

The Huawei Network Summit 2026 (HNS 2026) has introduced an upgraded Xinghe Intelligent Network specifically for northern Africa, following its debut in Egypt. It aims to pave the way for collaborative growth among partners and customers in the emerging Agentic AI era. Yang Chaobin, Huawei's EVP and CEO of the ICT Business Group, said that enterprise networks are becoming AI-centric, transitioning from ubiquitous ultra-broadband to lossless compute, integrated sensing and communications, full-scope security

AFRICA 29 APR

GSMA and Pleias launch CommonLingua tool for African languages

Pleias and the GSMA have announced the release of CommonLingua, an open-source Language Identification (LID) model designed to unlock African language data at scale. The project was delivered under the GSMA's AI Language Models in Africa initiative, a mobile industry coalition dedicated to closing the continent's language gap in AI. 

MOROCCO 29 APR

Inwi partners with Vertiv to scale cooling performance at Technopolis data centre site

Moroccan operator Inwi has again tapped Vertiv to expand its Technopolis Rabat data centre after a successful partnership at its Marrakech and Settat sites. The project at Inwi's Technopolis Rabat site focused on upgrading cooling capabilities using advanced chilled water systems and precision cooling units.

TUNISIA 29 APR

Orange opens retail store at Tunis-Carthage Airport

Orange Tunisia has opened a new retail store at Tunis-Carthage International Airport to improve customer experience and make services more accessible. This move is part of the operator's strategy to enhance passenger connectivity and provide immediate service to travelers upon their arrival in the country.

Just In

14:26

Mobiuz expands 5G network in Namangan region

14:25

Meeza agrees backup services with European and Asian partners

14:23

Beeline Russia adds favourite numbers option

14:19

STC Group rebrands Giza Systems as Pulse by Solutions

Commentary

5 MEI 10:55

KPN: the art of making one-offs structural

4 MEI 14:25

Open Dutch Fiber outlook: time to restart roll-out?

20 APR 10:36

Netflix back to organic growth and doing just fine

11 FEB 12:29

Odido shareholders face tricky exit after abandoned IPO

Background

11 MEI 00:53

The week in telecom: Lumen, NTT turn to data centre market to revive growth, Hutchison exits UK

3 MEI 23:05

The week in telecoms: big tech faces costs of AI boom and Wi-Fi market consolidates

27 APR 14:33

Virgin Media O2: from coax to fibre and 80% coverage in 2028

26 APR 23:04

The week in telecoms: sovereign hopes take hold in Europe and Apple confirms new CEO