Ethio Telecom, Djibouti Telecom, and Sudatel Telecom Group have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create a multi-terabit, redundant terrestrial fibre optic link interconnecting Ethiopia, Djibouti and Sudan.

Telecoms network operator Paratus Botswana announced on Wednesday it has started work on lighting a new fibre route – billed as the “SADC Highway” – that will connect Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Kenyan telco Safaricom has reportedly revamped its “5G for Businesses” offering with new packages aimed specifically at small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that promise to support their digital transformation plans with faster and more reliable connectivity.

Digital infrastructure provider WIOCC announced on Tuesday it is partnering with Nigeria’s state-owned ICT and shared services provider Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) to boost broadband infrastructure in Nigeria.

Nigerian news outlets are reporting a strong response by consumer association the National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS) to the latest government attempt by the government to tax telecoms.

Satellite services provider Q-KON has expanded its partnership with Eutelsat OneWeb to deliver connectivity through what it calls Smart LEO networks, tailored to reach remote locations in sub-Saharan Africa.

M-Pesa Africa – the mobile money JV between Safaricom and Vodacom Group – says that it’s expanding its partnership with global payment infrastructure provider Thunes to enable users in Kenya and Tanzania to use their M-Pesa wallet to make payments when traveling to China.

MTN Rwanda's fintech arm, Mobile Money Rwanda (MoMo Rwanda), has partnered with payment giant Mastercard to launch a new virtual payment solution in Rwanda.

South African telco Vodacom says it has launched the first 4G base station in the village of Thathe Vondo in Thohoyandou, Thulamela Municipality in Limpopo province as part of its effort to expand rural coverage in the country.

Benin-based broadband provider Isocel Telecom has announced ambitious plans to expand its network to reach up to half a million households, emphasising that fibre is still essential to fill the gaps that mobile connectivity cannot yet address.

Public utility Namibia Water Corporation (NamWater) and mobile network operator and ISP MTC have announced a partnership to modernise Namibia’s water sector through digital innovation – and, importantly in a country where supply is more limited than most, save water.

MTN South Africa has reportedly signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with China Telecom Global and Huawei to develop digital infrastructure across MTN’s African footprint.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) stated that 227 million new people connected to the internet for the first time in 2024, bringing the total number of connected people to over 5.5 billion.

South African operator MTN is launching an own-branded 5G smartphone. Called the Icon 5G, the new MTN smartphone will sell for 2,499 rand (about US$138). The smartphone is manufactured by ZTE.

Orange announced on Tuesday it is partnering with OpenAI and Meta to fine-tune AI large language models (LLMs) to incorporate regional languages in Africa that are currently not understood by any GenAI model.

Pan-African operator Axian Telecom has announced the rebrand of its five mobile units to Yas, a move aimed at unifying the operators and creating synergies for future growth.

MTN Group announced on Monday it has commercially launched its 5G network in Congo-Brazzaville, making it the group’s sixth 5G launch in Africa along with last week’s launch of 5G in Benin.

Telecom operator MTN Benin officially launched the country's first commercial 5G network on Friday, with initial services available in select areas of the port city of Cotonou and Abomey-Calavi.

Analyst house Canalys revealed that the African smartphone market grew by 3% year-on-year in Q3 2024 despite macroeconomic challenges. It predicted that smartphone shipments would grow by a “cautious” 1% in 2025.

Ghana’s National Communications Authority (NCA), in collaboration with the ministry of communications and digitalisation and mobile network operators, recently began negotiations with relevant stakeholders in The Gambia to advance the implementation of the ECOWAS Free Roaming Initiative.

MTN South Africa and sportech company Telecoming said on Wednesday they have extended their partnership to launch a new cloud gaming service in South Africa.  

Somalia is working to put in place a favourable regulatory framework to strengthen its digital infrastructure. In particular, regulator the National Communications Authority is preparing the introduction of new regulations on submarine cable landings.

Madagascar’s three mobile money operators – MVola, Orange Money and Airtel Money – have denounced plans by the government’s Directorate General for Taxes (DGI) to tax mobile money transactions, which they say will discourage financial inclusion and harm the economy.

South African wireline and wireless telecommunications provider Telkom has suspended plans to sell part of its fibre business, Openserve, according to a statement by CEO Serame Taukobong this week.

Telecom Namibia says it successfully completed eight FTTx projects worth NAB35.5 million (US$1.9 million) for underserved areas in 2023 and 2024, and will invest another NAB27 million to expand its fibre access network further in the coming year.

Mobile money services MTN MoMo in South Africa and EcoCash in Zimbabwe have partnered to provide what are described as effortless direct cash transfers between the two countries.

Global connectivity provider Angola Cables is reportedly planning to expand into Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to cash in on Africa's growing appetite for digital infrastructure – provided regulators make it easier to roll out that infrastructure.

Eutelsat OneWeb announced on Thursday it has signed a new multi-year agreement with satellite solutions and services provider Q-KON to expand LEO satellite services across Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in the southern region.

Operator MTN South Africa and leading tech vendor Huawei say that they have completed the first 5.5G network trial in South Africa at the MTN head office in Johannesburg.

The London Internet Exchange (LINX) announced this week it will be expanding its interconnection footprint in Africa early next year with a new internet exchange point (IXP) in Ghana and its second IXP in Kenya.