Author: Akin Naphtal

INX-ZA, South Africa’s oldest internet exchange operator, has unveiled a significant infrastructure upgrade in collaboration with Nokia, introducing high-performance routing technology with up to 400Gbit/s throughput per platform. The initiative, aims to bolster the nation’s digital backbone by enhancing connectivity and resilience for businesses and end users. The upgrade will implement 400GE connectivity and expand 100GE services across INX-ZA’s internet exchange points (IXPs) in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban. The rollout begins in Johannesburg at JINX, Africa’s oldest internet exchange, which has maintained 100% uptime since its inception in 1996. By the end of 2025, JINX will expand from seven…

MTN Group has named Karl Toriola, the current CEO of MTN Nigeria, as the new Vice President of Francophone Africa, effective November 1, 2025. The telecom giant announced the move as part of a broader strategic leadership reshuffle aimed at strengthening its market presence across key regions. Toriola will retain his role as CEO of MTN Nigeria while taking on the additional responsibility of driving growth in Francophone markets, including Senegal, Cameroon, and Côte d’Ivoire. MTN stated that the appointment is designed to accelerate its strategy and enhance value creation in the medium term. “These leadership changes will support accelerated…

M-KOPA, a UK-headquartered fintech operating across Africa, has achieved a significant milestone by reaching 100,000 customers in South Africa, just two years after entering the market in 2023. The company attributes this success to its women-led direct sales network, with 80% of its 3,000 active agents being women, advancing digital and financial inclusion across the continent. “From Gauteng to the Western Cape, our women agents are connecting rural communities with digital and financial solutions,” M-KOPA stated. The company’s smartphones, embedded with its Smart Money Platform, serve as gateways to affordable credit, health insurance, and device protection, particularly for low to…

The London Internet Exchange (LINX) has announced major upgrades at the center3 Internet Exchange Point (IXP) in Riyadh, strengthening Saudi Arabia’s digital infrastructure and supporting the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 agenda. The enhancements, carried out at the Remal facility (RDC102), expand the availability of 100GE ports and introduce 400GE connectivity services to meet growing demand from global networks, content providers, and enterprises seeking high-capacity, low-latency interconnection. “Demand for high-speed, resilient connectivity in the Kingdom continues to grow, and these upgrades ensure that the Riyadh IXP remains at the forefront of regional interconnection,” said Halil Kama, Director for the Middle East at…

Kenya and Huawei deepened their partnership on Thursday with the launch of the 10th Huawei ICT Competition in Nairobi, aimed at equipping young Kenyans with critical digital skills for a tech-driven future. The event, attended by senior government officials, Huawei executives, students, faculty, and innovators, is expected to attract over 10,000 participants from tertiary institutions across the country. National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula praised the competition for fostering creativity and digital literacy among Kenyan youth over the past decade, contributing to reduced unemployment and accelerated economic growth. “The Huawei ICT Competition has become a cornerstone of ICT excellence, enabling young…

MTN Ghana will temporarily halt all Mobile Money (MoMo) services for six hours starting at midnight on Sunday, August 17, to conduct a major system upgrade, the telecommunications company announced. The suspension, scheduled to end at 6:00 a.m., will affect over 14 million MoMo users, who will be unable to send or receive money, make deposits or withdrawals, pay bills, or transfer funds between wallets and bank accounts during this period. The company urged customers to complete essential transactions before the midnight cutoff to minimize disruptions. Charles Asamoah Assah, Chief Technology and Service Delivery Officer at Mobile Money Limited, confirmed…

In response to recurring internet disruptions across Africa, telecom leaders, including the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), Internet Society (ISOC), and African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC), are calling for the adoption of a Model Framework for Building Regional Internet Resilience. The framework, endorsed by these organizations, aims to safeguard Africa’s digital infrastructure against outages that cripple communication and critical services. The proposed framework focuses on three key areas: strengthening networks and internet service providers (ISPs), securing critical infrastructure like power grids and undersea cables, and improving market conditions to enhance affordability and demand. Once adopted, entities such as mobile operators, ISPs,…

Oracle has partnered with Google Cloud to integrate Google’s Gemini AI models into Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) and its suite of enterprise applications, the companies announced today. The agreement, revealed on August 14, will bring Gemini’s advanced text, image, video, and audio generation capabilities to Oracle’s finance, HR, and supply chain tools, enabling customers to access these features using existing Oracle cloud credits for seamless procurement and billing. Building on their 2024 multicloud collaboration, which introduced Oracle Database@Google Cloud and a low-latency Oracle Interconnect for Google Cloud, this partnership strengthens Oracle’s strategy of offering diverse AI solutions from multiple providers.…

F5 and Equinix have announced an expanded partnership to streamline secure, AI-ready infrastructure for enterprises, enabling seamless global scaling of digital applications without the burden of physical hardware. The collaboration integrates F5’s Application Delivery and Security Platform (ADSP) with Equinix’s Network Edge and Equinix Fabric, aiming to simplify deployment and enhance security for modern applications and AI workloads in hybrid multicloud environments. The enhanced solution allows businesses to rapidly deploy and secure applications, reducing infrastructure costs and management complexity. F5’s Distributed Cloud Customer Edge, a key ADSP component, is now available as a virtual network function on Equinix’s Network Edge,…

Vodafone and Three has initiated automatic network sharing for Vodafone and Three customers, leveraging Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) technology to deliver enhanced coverage, faster speeds, and fewer 4G not-spots at no additional cost. The rollout, part of the company’s £11 billion investment to build the UK’s premier network, has already activated over 600 sites, with plans to integrate 9,000 more by the end of the first year following the Vodafone-Three merger. The integration combines spectrum assets to expand 4G and 5G coverage, improve reliability, and increase capacity. Approximately seven million Three UK and Smarty customers have experienced 4G speed increases…