Canal Plus secures sub-Saharan Africa rights to Rugby World Cup for men in 2027 and women in 2029
AFRICA 13:02

Canal Plus secures sub-Saharan Africa rights to Rugby World Cup for men in 2027 and women in 2029

The Canal Plus Group has announced an agreement with World Rugby for the rights to broadcast the Men's Rugby World Cup 2027 and Women's Rugby World Cup 2029 live on SuperSport and DStv across Sub-Saharan Africa. DStv and GOtv subscribers can look forward to watching South Africa and Zimbabwe represent Africa at the 2027 Men's Rugby World Cup in Australia from 01 October to 13 November 2027. The eleventh edition of the competition expands to 24 teams and introduces a brand-new round of sixteen format.

Zoyk partners with Visa to launch interoperable digital payments in southern Africa
AFRICA 12:59

Zoyk partners with Visa to launch interoperable digital payments in southern Africa

Zoyk has partnered with Visa through Visa Direct to launch an interoperable digital payment service in Zambia and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The Zoyk Visa Direct Account and Wallet Partnership integrates Visa Direct, mobile money platforms, bank accounts, merchant wallets, agent networks and Visa cards into one digital ecosystem designed to simplify person-to-person (P2P), merchant and cross-border payments. 

Telecom Namibia CEO becomes head of Communications Regulators' Association of Southern Africa
AFRICA 09:04

Telecom Namibia CEO becomes head of Communications Regulators' Association of Southern Africa

Stanley Shanapinda, the CEO of Telecom Namibia, has accepted an appointment as executive secretary of the Communications Regulators' Association of Southern Africa (CRASA), which promotes regulatory harmonisation and cooperation among telecom watchdogs in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The appointment follows a competitive regional recruitment process. He will work with the board of directors, shareholders and executive management of Telecom Namibia to ensure a smooth and orderly leaders

Axian Group CEO joins Jumia supervisory board
AFRICA 2 JUN

Axian Group CEO joins Jumia supervisory board

Axian Group co-founder and CEO Hassanein Hiridjee has been formally elected to the Supervisory Board of Jumia Technologies, signaling a major step in the pan-African conglomerate's dedication to building Africa's digital retail and tech infrastructure.

MTN appoints Cote d'Ivoire and Zambia CEOs, group head of personnel
AFRICA 2 JUN

MTN appoints Cote d'Ivoire and Zambia CEOs, group head of personnel

MTN Group has appointed Mitwa Ng'ambi as the new group chief people and culture officer with effect no later than 01 September. Ng'ambi joins the group executive committee ahead of Paul Norman's retirement later in 2026. The group has also announced leadership changes at its subsidiaries in Cote d'Ivoire and Zambia.

Tecno and UNHCR continue to support refugee education
AFRICA 1 JUN

Tecno and UNHCR continue to support refugee education

Tecno says its partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) supported refugee pupils in Ethiopia and Tanzania in 2025 by building classrooms and clean water facilities. The initiative distributed essential learning materials to over 18,000 pupils and provided financial aid, too. The smartphone maker and the UNHCR began a three-year partnership in last year. For local children, sycg infrastructure upgrades mean the difference between getting an education and missing out entirely

MTN confirms retirements of two long-serving board members
AFRICA 1 JUN

MTN confirms retirements of two long-serving board members

MTN Group has formally confirmed the retirements of long-serving independent non-executive directors Stan Miller and Nkululeko Sowazi. The transition concluded at the company's Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 29 May. They had both joined the MTN Group board on 01 August 2016 and group CEO Ralph Mupita commended both outgoing members during a pre-AGM farewell. 

Tunisian Q1 telecom sector turnover exceeds TND 1 bln
TUNISIA 1 JUN

Tunisian Q1 telecom sector turnover exceeds TND 1 bln

Tunisia's telecom sector surpassed the TND 1 billion turnover mark for the first time in the first quarter of 2026, reaching TND 1.03 billion, according to the National Telecommunications Authority. Revenue had reached approximately TND 952.6 million in Q1 2024, rising to TND 962.3 million in Q1 2025. The rebound reflects a digital transformation throughout Tunisian society and the economy, driven by the rapid development of fixed-line services, the roll-out of 5G technology, and the expansion of high-capac

East African telecom regulators resolve to fix cross-border connectivity challenges
AFRICA 29 MEI

East African telecom regulators resolve to fix cross-border connectivity challenges

Heads of the East African Community (EAC) communications regulatory authorities have concluded a week-long meeting in Tanzania to advance a harmonised regional mobile roaming framework. Key issues including priced structures, consumer protection, compliance monitoring, dispute resolution mechanisms and operational coordination. EAC deputy secretary general in charge of infrastructure, productive, social and political sectors, Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth, said digital connectivity has become a strategic enabl

MTN Group starts Y'ello Care 2026 with healthcare theme
AFRICA 29 MEI

MTN Group starts Y'ello Care 2026 with healthcare theme

MTN Group said the 2026 edition of its employee volunteerism campaign, '21 Days of Y'ello Care', will run from 01 to 21 June. The theme in the scheme's nineteenth year is 'Expand Equitable Health for Every Community'. Across MTN's markets during Y'ello Care 2026, staff and partners will deploy activities including mobile clinics, community outreach, digital health education, and telemedicine-enabled services, alongside screening and prevention initiatives. The scheme will be supported by digital technologie

German govt gives East African Community funding for engineer recognition platform equipment
AFRICA 29 MEI

German govt gives East African Community funding for engineer recognition platform equipment

The East African Community (EAC) has received high-performance ICT infrastructure worth EUR 205,000 from the German Development Agency (GIZ). It was procured under the Digitalisation for East African Trade and Integration (DIGEAT) Project, funded by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The infrastructure will enable the EAC Secretariat to independently host and scale the EAC Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) Digital Platform, a mechanism for mutual recognition of professional

Sparkle, Geant expand network links across Africa and Mediterranean
AFRICA 28 MEI

Sparkle, Geant expand network links across Africa and Mediterranean

Italian international services provider Sparkle and pan-European research network Geant have expanded their partnership to boost global connectivity for scientific and academic communities, citing three new tenders to deliver capacity across Europe, Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean. 

AFRICA 27 MEI

ATU starts IPv6 pilot projects

The African Telecommunications Union (ATU) has partnered with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to work on IPv6 adoption. Earlier in 2026, ATU, Icann and the African Advanced Level Telecommunications Institute (AFRALTI) hosted training programmes in Nairobi for policy and technical experts representing 30 African countries. These sessions focused on IPv6 readiness, regulatory alignment, deployment strategies, and national tran

AFRICA 27 MEI

Africa's smartphone shipments grow 3% in Q1

Africa's smartphone market grew 3 percent year-on-year to 19.9 million units in Q1, driven by new product launches and vendor inventory frontloading, according to a new study by Omdia. However, rising component prices, currency volatility, and affordability pressures are weakening conditions in the vital under-USD 150 segment and are expected to contribute to a sharp contraction in shipments over the full year 2026.

AFRICA 27 MEI

Westcon-Comstor confirms Level 1 B-BBEE status in South Africa

Westcon-Comstor retained its Level 1 Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) rating in South Africa. Westcon-Comstor said its strategy centres on empowering partners through enablement, skills development, market access, and business growth support. This framework aids both established partners and emerging, Black-owned ICT businesses scaling in a highly competitive market. 

AFRICA 26 MEI

East Africa works on improvements to regional mobile roaming framework

The East African Community (EAC) says it has commenced a series of regional engagements aimed at advancing the development of a harmonised regional mobile roaming framework to support affordable cross-border communication, enhance regional trade and accelerate implementation of the EAC Single Digital Market agenda. The engagements, taking place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from 25 to 29 May, bring together regional telecommunications experts, policymakers, heads of communications regulatory authorities and r

AFRICA 26 MEI

IHS Towers board approves MTN buyout, sets shareholder vote

The board of IHS Towers has officially endorsed a USD 2.2 billion buyout offer from MTN Group, setting the stage for a shareholder vote. In a filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), IHS said its board had determined that the transaction is in the best interests of the company and its shareholders. The board also concluded that MTN's offer of USD 8.50 per share represents fair value for ordinary shareholders.

AFRICA 25 MEI

Qhala, Amini AI, Angani and iXAfrica partner to host Qubit Hub

Qhala, Amini AI, Angani and iXAfrica Data Centres have collaborated to host Qubit Hub at iXAfrica's NBOX1 facility. Incubated by Qhala under Qtrust, Qubit Hub is an African AI research and development lab. It brings together researchers, technologists, data scientists, policymakers, and builders to develop practical AI solutions tailored for the continent. 

AFRICA 25 MEI

Axian Telecom Group revenue rises 25% in Q1

Axian Telecom Group reported a 27.5 percent year-on-year revenue increase to USD 476.5 million for the first quarter of 2026, up from USD 373.3 million in Q1 2025. This revenue includes a USD 14.8 million contribution from the takeover of Wananchi Group. Excluding that impact, the revenue growth for the quarter was 23.6 percent, primarily driven by strong performances in Tanzania and Madagascar, which expanded by 20.6 percent and 21.0 percent, respectively.

AFRICA 22 MEI

Airtel Africa begins programme to buy back up to 1% of shares

Airtel Africa has launched a share buyback programme for up to 1 percent of its issued capital in order to return cash to shareholders. The board's decision highlights the strong balance sheet and Airtel Africa's ability to preserve financial flexibility while supporting ongoing investment. For the first tranche, Airtel has reached an agreement with Barclays Capital Securities to conduct the programme and carry out on-market purchases of its ordinary shares. The operator will subsequently purchase the stock

MOROCCO 22 MEI

Morocco's Inwi and public utility company Onee agree new programme to accelerate infrastructure expansion

Moroccan operator Inwi has announced a new strategic collaboration with its long-standing passive infrastructure partner Onee (Office National de l'Eau et de l'Electricite). The partnership aims to extend high-capacity fibre-optic network infrastructure in the country through joint projects focused on resource sharing. Alongside infrastructure modernisation and expansion, the areas of collaboration will include cyber security, data management and network intelligence, supporting resiliency and service deliv

AFRICA 22 MEI

MTN outlines plans to transform African tower network into AI grid

MTN Group has announced plans to transform its African mobile tower infrastructure into a distributed edge-AI compute network, by installing open GPU infrastructure directly at base stations, TechCentral reported. The company will enable a single hardware layer to run both core mobile network services and real-time AI inferencing. Speaking at an event hosted by law firm Bowmans in South Africa, MTN Group chief technology and information officer Charles Molapisi revealed the group's strategy to become the fo

MOROCCO 21 MEI

Maroc Telecom‑Inwi JV provides reference offer for passive fibre infrastructure

Morocco's Uni Fiber, the FiberCo joint venture co‑owned by Maroc Telecom and Inwi, has received regulatory approval to publish a reference offer for wholesale access to its passive fibre infrastructure. The reference offer will enable commercial operators to access Uni Fiber's infrastructure under non‑discriminatory and transparent conditions, which in turn is expected to support investment in fibre roll‑out activities and accelerate deployments. Announcing the development, national telecom authority ANRT d

ALGERIA 21 MEI

Algeria launches national digital skills programme

Algeria has launched a nationwide digital skills drive, DZWatch reported. ICT Minister Sid Ali Zerrouki announced the launch of the "77.7" National Digital Empowerment Programme, an initiative to equip Algerians of all ages with essential digital skills. The programme features seven tailored educational tracks across seven age categories, scaling from "Tech Discovery" for children aged 7-10 to "Senior Tech" for adults up to age 77. Additional tracks focus on students, innovators, professionals, adults, and

Just In

15:15

BDx secures 1.2 GW power deal for Indonesian data centres

15:07

Ericsson appoints Eduardo Mazo as Southern Cone Network Operations head

15:05

Vero invests BRL 110 mln in 'Vero Controle Mais' mobile service expansion

15:01

Portuguese telecom complaints resurge in Q1 with Meo attracting most gripes

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

1 JUN 00:13

The week in telecom: EU telcos push sovereign services as governments question foreign tech investors

23 MEI 23:42

The week in telecom: Starlink ready to go public, Singapore telco M&A and Google courts AI subscribers at I/O

18 MEI 00:31

The week in telecom: US operators mount rural satellite challenge, Cisco cashes in on AI boom

11 MEI 00:53

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