Telecoms

Tower infrastructure company TowerCo of Africa Uganda has raised $40 million in 10-year financing from several European backers to drive mobile network coverage across rural areas in Uganda.

Following delays in dividend repatriation, FMR LLC, an American multinational financial services firm, is selling its Safaricom shares amid the telco’s devaluation.

Equitel, a mobile virtual network operator, has launched 5G services in Kenya, becoming the first MVNO to do so on the continent.

Seacom, a subsea cable provider, has been grappling with a service outage lasting more than 48 hours on its subsea cable system in the Red Sea region. This disruption affects Kenya and Egypt’s connectivity.

Two telcos, Airtel Gabon and Moov Africa Gabon Telecom, have partnered with the support of the country’s telecommunications regulatory authority to deliver mobile telephone and Internet services to 200 villages situated in Gabon’s underserved regions.

Teraco has disclosed that it has secured its first grid capacity allocation from Eskom, enabling it to construct and connect its proposed 120MW solar facility to the national electrical grid to power its data centres across South Africa.

Telecom infrastructure provider IHS Cameroon has introduced the ‘Tower Kiosk by IHS Cameroon’ to improve Internet access in Cameroon’s rural northwest and southwest communities.

Following the launch of Nxtra, a data centre, in 2023, Airtel Africa has introduced Telesonic, a new wholesale fibre unit, to meet the rising demand for wholesale data on the continent.

The United Nations has urged the end of Sudan’s telecommunications Internet shutdown, which has disconnected over 14 million users. Meanwhile, reports indicate that the Rapid Support Forces are using Starlink to bypass the shutdown.

The Nigerian telecom regulator has withdrawn approval for MTN to disconnect Globacom, resolving a 15-year interconnection dispute between the telcos.

Digital solution and fibre network provider Bayobab has landed 45,000 km of 2Africa subsea cables in Ghana and Nigeria to improve Internet connectivity.

Airtel Nigeria expands its existing partnership with IHS Nigeria and related entities to increase tower tenancies and sustainable initiatives in the country.

After 15 years of legal battle with Vodacom, Nkosana Makate, the creator of ‘Please Call Me’ service, is “thrilled” by the Supreme Court’s recent decision, describing it as a significant sacrifice.

Africa’s telecommunications regulators intend to implement a single emergency number for disasters before the World Telecommunications Standardisation Assembly (WTDC) in October 2024.

TD Africa, a Nigerian IT and lifestyle product distributor, has signed an agreement with Starlink to become the “first authorised distributor” in Africa.

Africa Credit Opportunities Fund (ACOF), a private credit fund, and Telecel Group, an African telecommunications company, have announced a partnership to invest $20 million in Telecel Global Services.

Despite South Africa’s ban on SpaceX’s satellite service, Mozambique-based StarSat Africa has announced plans to reduce the cost of Starlink kits by the end of the month in the country.

Following a Memorandum of Understanding signed in October 2023 by Telecom Egypt and Hungary’s IT solutions provider, 4iG, the companies have agreed to build a subsea cable connecting Albania and Egypt.

Following Telkom’s recent collaboration with the South African Police Service (SAPS) against cable theft and vandalism, MTN South Africa has partnered to support policing community forums in the fight against theft.

Airtel Africa plans to launch a $100 million share buyback programme beginning in early March 2024 and lasting 12 months.