Author: Akin Naphtal

Telefónica and Liberty Global, the co-owners of Virgin Media O2 (VMO2), are reportedly close to finalizing a major £2 billion acquisition of Netomnia, one of the UK’s leading alternative full-fibre broadband network operators, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. The deal would be executed through Nexfibre, the fibre joint venture co-owned by Telefónica, Liberty Global, and private equity firm InfraVia Capital. Nexfibre already operates a growing full-fibre network across the UK, currently reaching approximately 2.4 million premises. Netomnia, one of the country’s largest “altnets,” has built its independent fibre infrastructure to around three million premises, serving more than…

Cassava Technologies and AXON Networks have announced a strategic partnership to co-develop, deploy, and manage Africa’s first end-to-end Operator-as-a-Service (OaaS) platform, a move aimed at accelerating the continent’s digital and artificial intelligence transformation. The partnership, unveiled at the Counder Conference 2026 in Cape Town, will combine AXON’s AI-ready, real-time, multi-tenant, digital twin-enabled platform with Cassava’s extensive pan-African high-speed fibre backbone to connect millions of people and businesses across Africa and unlock new avenues for economic growth and innovation. Speaking at the announcement, President and Group CEO of Cassava Technologies, Hardy Pemhiwa, said the collaboration marks a shift away from traditional, hardware-centric infrastructure toward…

In a high-level engagement this week, MTN Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita, alongside MTN Nigeria CEO Dr. Karl Olutokun Toriola, met with Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, to discuss the strategic importance of telecommunications in driving Nigeria’s economic ambitions. The meeting, held in Abuja, centered on strengthening the telecom sector to serve as a reliable foundation for national growth, innovation, and the federal government’s target of building a $1 trillion economy. Both parties expressed strong alignment on two key priorities: enhancing quality of service to deliver better experiences for Nigerian consumers and ensuring the long-term financial and operational…

Airtel Africa today announced another strong quarterly performance for the third quarter of its 2026 financial year, underscoring the company’s accelerating growth momentum across its African markets. The results highlight sustained demand for data services, rapid expansion in mobile money, and strategic investments in network infrastructure. The total customer base grew 10% year-on-year to 179.4 million, with data customers increasing 14.6% to 81.8 million. Smartphone penetration climbed 3.9% to 48.1%, driving average data usage per customer to 8.6GB per month from 6.9GB previously. This fueled a 16.6% rise in data ARPU in constant currency, supported by enhanced network investments. Airtel Money achieved…

Industrial maintenance in the UK is moving into a year where digital tools will influence how faults are predicted, how work is assigned, and how quickly teams can bring equipment back online. The strongest change is not a single breakthrough, but the way several technologies are now arriving together, driven by tighter labour markets, higher uptime expectations, and a growing appetite for evidence that maintenance spend is reducing risk rather than merely reacting to it. Chris Burns, Global Marketing Communications Director at HTL Group, a leading provider of hydraulic torque wrenches and controlled bolting solutions, explores five technologies that maintenance leaders will…

Global Invacom Group has appointed seasoned satellite industry executive Craig Bowley as its new Chief Commercial Officer, a move aimed at accelerating the company’s growth and expanding its global market footprint. Bowley joins Global Invacom with extensive experience in the satellite communications sector, having spent many years at ST Engineering iDirect. During his tenure, he held several senior leadership roles, including Senior Regional Director for Government and Defence, EMEA; Regional Vice President, Europe; and later Regional Vice President, EMEA. In these positions, he led agile, high-performing teams and played a key role in developing future-focused sales strategies, product development initiatives, and marketing programmes that strengthened the company’s industry…

The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has said that digital transformation and regulation are inseparable in Nigeria’s rapidly evolving dissing that effective regulation must evolve alongside technological innovation.  Inuwa made this known while receiving the Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mr. Charles Ebuebu, during a meeting aimed at exploring strategic partnerships and stronger regulatory frameworks across Nigeria’s media and technology sectors. He emphasised that digital transformation is not a one-off initiative but a continuous journey that demands constant improvement, periodic target-setting and organisational adaptability to emerging realities. ALSO READ: IXAFRICA TO HOST ORACLE’S NEW PUBLIC CLOUD REGION IN NAIROBI  …

iXAfrica Data Centre Limited, East and Central Africa’s largest hyperscale, carrier-neutral, and AI-ready data center facility, has been selected as the host partner for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure’s (OCI) new public cloud region in Nairobi. The collaboration marks a significant milestone in Kenya’s digital infrastructure development, enabling Oracle to deliver its cloud services locally through iXAfrica’s advanced facility. The OCI region in Nairobi was first announced by H.E. President William Ruto in January 2024, amid growing demand for high-performance cloud solutions across the region. Oracle chose iXAfrica due to its readiness for immediate hyperscale deployments. The facility is purpose-built to meet global cloud standards, featuring carrier neutrality, high-density…

Ericsson has expanded the role of Linda Lindberg, a two-decade veteran of the telecommunications giant. Already serving as Vice President & Head of Sales and Commercial Management for the critical Business Area Networks, Lindberg will now also assume the position of Head of Ericsson Group Sales, consolidating global sales leadership under her purview.  The announcement, made by Lindberg on her LinkedIn platform, signals a strategic alignment of Ericsson’s worldwide sales engine. In her expanded capacity, she will be tasked with driving the adoption of global sales capabilities—from digital tools and account planning frameworks to comprehensive sales enablement programs—with a sharp…

CoreWeave shares surged 12% on Monday after Nvidia announced a $2 billion equity investment in the artificial intelligence infrastructure provider, reinforcing its strategic bet on the fast-growing AI data center market. According to a joint statement, Nvidia purchased CoreWeave’s Class A common stock at $87.20 per share, representing a discount to Friday’s closing price of $92.98. The investment is expected to accelerate CoreWeave’s plans to build out up to five gigawatts of AI data center capacity by 2030. CoreWeave Chief Executive Officer Mike Intrator said the deal would support the company’s expansion strategy while reducing reliance on any single customer as it scales its data center footprint. ALSO READ: JUSPAY RAISES $50M, HITS $1.2BN VALUATION IN…