Salve,
Victoria from Techpoint here,
Here’s what I’ve got for you today:
- MultiChoice hikes prices in Kenya, slashes Showmax fees
- MTN wants your cloud spend to stay in Nigeria
- Cameroon fines MTN, Orange $4.6M over poor service
MultiChoice hikes prices in Kenya, slashes Showmax fees
MultiChoice is tweaking its pricing again, this time in Kenya, just months after rolling out similar increases across Uganda and South Africa. From August 1, 2025, DStv and GOtv subscribers in Kenya will see a 4–7% bump in their monthly bills. But in a surprising twist, Showmax subscribers will be getting some relief, with subscription prices slashed across various plans.
The company says the move reflects rising operational costs and the need to keep investing in local and international content. While that may be true, it’s also happening at a time when many consumers already feel DStv and GOtv are becoming too pricey. The numbers back that up: MultiChoice lost 1.2 million subscribers recently and earnings are down 8% year-on-year.
For DStv users, packages like Access, Family, Compact, and Premium are all going up by at least KSh 100, with the Premium tier now costing KSh 11,700 ($90). GOtv’s changes are mixed: while GOtv Value is actually getting cheaper, other plans like GOtv Max and Supa are climbing by KSh 100. The Lite and Plus plans remain unchanged.
Interestingly, Showmax is the only platform getting cheaper. With rising competition from YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video, MultiChoice is slashing prices across Showmax’s entertainment and sports plans. The Premier League mobile-only plan is dropping to KSh 450 ($3.50), while the General Entertainment mobile plan is now just KSh 200 ($1.50). It’s clear Showmax is trying to stay in the game as viewers ditch traditional pay-TV for cheaper, on-demand options.
But the real pressure isn’t just from competition. MultiChoice is being squeezed hard by currency fluctuations across Africa. Since 2023, it’s lost 2.8 million subscribers and taken a $576 million hit due to weaker African currencies against the dollar. Nigeria has been the hardest hit, contributing 77% of the group’s total subscriber loss between 2023 and 2025.
As if things couldn’t get worse, MultiChoice Nigeria was just slapped with a ₦766 million ($510,000) fine for violating the country’s Data Protection Act. It’s a rough season for the company, balancing rising costs, subscriber churn, and regulatory heat, all while fending off streaming giants and piracy. And while Canal+ has made a $1.9 billion offer to buy it out, the future remains shaky for Africa’s biggest pay-TV operator.
MTN wants your cloud spend to stay in Nigeria
MTN is betting big on the cloud. At a recent press briefing, its top execs boldly claimed that their newly launched Sifiso Dabengwa Data Centre and cloud infrastructure offer services comparable to global heavyweights like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. It’s a big swing, and one that’s drawing mixed reactions online.
While some Nigerians on X (formerly Twitter) are cheering the move as a win for local innovation and African data sovereignty, others are side-eyeing the telco’s track record. From shaky USSD services to unreliable 5G connectivity, many users say MTN should fix existing problems before promising the moon. Still, MTN’s Chief Enterprise Business Officer, Lynda Saint-Nwafor, insists this is a major leap not just for Nigeria, but the continent at large.
And in many ways, she’s right. The Dabengwa Data Centre is one of the few serious steps towards keeping African data on African soil, a big deal for national security and control. CEO Karl Toriola made this point clear: “Hosting Nigerian businesses’ data in Nigeria protects them from foreign sovereign risks.” MTN also claims that hyperscalers like AWS and Azure are draining Nigeria of between $600 million and $800 million yearly in cloud spend. Their pitch? Keep the data and the dollars here.
They’re not just talking the talk. The centre, which uses a modular design built from 96 prefab units, boasts 4.5MW of power capacity and can support up to 780 server racks. That’s enough to handle thousands of virtual machines and major clients, from fintechs to government agencies. MTN is already looking to double the capacity to 9MW and possibly scale up to 20MW in future phases.
Built to Tier III standards, the facility features redundant systems, dual transformers, backup generators, and strict compliance with local and global data laws. It also supports self-service cloud deployment, meaning users can spin up servers and manage apps on their own, just like with AWS or Azure. MTN even secured its first major client: the Abia State government.
So, is MTN ready to take market share from the global giants? Check Bolu’s story for all the deets.
Cameroon fines MTN, Orange $4.6M over poor service
Cameroon’s telecom watchdog isn’t playing around. The Telecommunications Regulatory Board (TRB) just fined MTN Cameroon and Orange Cameroon a combined $4.6 million for falling short on their network coverage and service quality obligations. The regulator says this move is about raising the bar and holding operators accountable in a country where mobile access is essential.
Inspections conducted earlier this year across cities and transport corridors like Yaounde, Mbalmayo, Ebolowa, and Douala exposed serious gaps in service delivery. Both MTN and Orange reportedly failed to meet key coverage benchmarks and didn’t keep up with their licensing promises. TRB boss, Philémon Zoo Zame, made it clear: operators need to stop cutting corners and step up their game.
Orange Cameroon took the bigger hit — $2.5 million in fines — while MTN was fined $1.8 million. But that’s not all. Orange got an extra $357,600 slapped on for violating pricing rules and letting value-added service (VAS) opt-out codes malfunction, which left many users stuck with unwanted subscriptions. TRB says it’s about time subscribers got transparency and decent service for their money.
This crackdown isn’t new. TRB pulled a similar move in 2023, dishing out $9.7 million in fines to four operators, including Orange and MTN. It’s part of a wider push by the Cameroonian government to tighten regulation and clean up the telecom sector, especially as the country aims to boost digital infrastructure under its Vision 2035 plan.
Beyond fines, the TRB is also chasing down unpaid bills. Earlier this year, the board launched a $52 million debt recovery campaign targeting licence fee defaulters and companies dodging penalties. With unpaid fees piling up over the years, the regulator is ramping up efforts to force compliance and make sure telcos are paying their fair share.
All this is happening as Cameroon struggles with network reliability despite having an 87% mobile penetration rate, one of the highest in Central Africa. According to the African Telecommunications Union, Cameroon still lags behind neighbours like Nigeria and Ghana. The message from the regulator is clear: improve your service, or pay the price.
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Have a lovely Tuesday!
Victoria Fakiya for Techpoint Africa.
