Internet

MTN partners to accelerate AI and data centre growth in Africa

The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence is driving a new wave of demand for computing power, cloud services and data-intensive technologies

As African markets accelerate their digital transformation, the availability of reliable, scalable and locally based infrastructure is becoming increasingly important to the continent’s economic competitiveness.

In response to this growing requirement, MTN Digital Infrastructure has announced a strategic partnership with a UAE-based data centre investment platform to support the development of AI-ready digital infrastructure across Africa.

The collaboration forms part of MTN’s Ambition 2030 strategy and is intended to strengthen the infrastructure base needed to support the continent’s evolving digital economy. It will focus on creating platforms capable of meeting rising requirements from cloud providers, enterprises, digital businesses and AI applications.

The partnership will bring together MTN Digital Infrastructure’s established presence across African markets, infrastructure assets and local market expertise with the UAE investment platform’s experience in data centre development, investment and operations.

The two organisations will use Africa Data Hub Holding Limited as the vehicle for developing and expanding future digital infrastructure projects in selected African markets. South Africa and Nigeria will be the initial focus markets, with opportunities expected to be developed and scaled as demand increases.

Bayobab, MTN’s digital connectivity business and a shareholder in the partnership, will complement the initiative by providing open-access connectivity and go-to-market capabilities. Through its pan-African network, Bayobab will help connect customers to digital infrastructure services across different markets.

The UAE-based investment platform was established by Tarek Al Ashram, a data centre developer, operator and investor with experience in the Middle Eastern market.

"Africa's digital economy is entering a new era, driven by rapid advances in artificial intelligence, cloud adoption and digital innovation. Realising this opportunity requires more than connectivity. It requires the infrastructure platforms that will power the next generation of digital services, businesses and innovation," said Mazen Mroué, CEO of MTN Group Digital Infrastructure.

"This partnership is a step forward in the execution of our digital infrastructure strategy and demonstrates the power of collaboration. Together, we are bringing investment, infrastructure expertise, connectivity and market access into a single platform capable of supporting hyperscalers, cloud providers, enterprises and technology innovators across Africa."

The investment platform sees parallels between Africa’s developing digital infrastructure requirements and the growth experienced in the Middle East. It intends to apply its experience in developing and managing large-scale data centre facilities to African markets through the new platform.

“Over the past years, we have seen firsthand how the development of world-class data centre infrastructure can support the rapid growth of cloud, digital services and AI across the Middle East. Africa now presents a similarly compelling opportunity, driven by strong underlying demand, rapidly expanding digital economies and an increasing need for resilient and scalable infrastructure”, Tarek Al Ashram said.

“We see significant potential to bring our experience in developing and operating large-scale data centre platforms to African markets, and Africa Data Hub Holding Limited provides the right platform through which to invest in and help shape that growth. Combining this experience with MTN's extensive African footprint and deep understanding of its markets gives us a strong foundation from which to build and scale the platform across the continent.”

The new partnership is expected to support MTN’s broader objective of developing open and scalable digital infrastructure capable of enabling innovation and expanding economic opportunities.

By combining investment capacity, data centre expertise, connectivity and local market knowledge, Africa Data Hub Holding Limited is positioned to support the growing infrastructure requirements associated with cloud computing, enterprise digitisation and artificial intelligence.

The initiative also reflects the increasing importance of data centres to Africa’s digital development. As demand for AI and cloud-based services expands, locally hosted and resilient computing infrastructure will be essential to improving access to advanced technologies and supporting the growth of Africa’s digital economy.

Through the partnership, MTN aims to strengthen the infrastructure ecosystem needed for the continent’s next stage of digital growth while helping position African markets to participate more effectively in the global digital economy.

MTN MoMo modernises infrastructure to scale digital finance

Ericsson and MTN Group Fintech have completed the MoMo Evolved Migration in key African markets, including Eswatini, Ghana, Rwanda and Uganda

Following these deployments, the companies are progressing with similar transformation initiatives in other markets, with an ongoing project in Cameroon and discussions underway to extend the programme to Benin, the Republic of the Congo and Zambia. Selected OpCos are also assessing migration to public cloud environments.

Powered by the Ericsson Fintech Platform, the initiatives are moving MTN MoMo from a legacy virtualised infrastructure to a standardised cloud-native architecture. The transformation is designed to enhance platform performance and operational efficiency while creating a scalable foundation for MTN Group’s Ambition 2030 strategy and the continued growth of digital financial services across Africa.

With digital financial services expanding rapidly across the continent, mobile money platforms need robust and scalable infrastructure capable of handling rising transaction volumes while ensuring service availability. Since adopting the cloud-native architecture, MTN has recorded reductions of up to 86% in CPU processing overhead and database load. The deployment provides a high-availability platform designed to accommodate future growth while delivering a consistent experience for consumers, merchants and ecosystem partners.

The modernised platform also streamlines operations and enhances performance. Lower infrastructure overhead and improved API responsiveness support faster integration for developers, merchants and ecosystem partners. Across the markets already migrated, the deployment has generated measurable gains, including lower application and database resource utilisation and API response times improved by up to 80%.

Artemij Demidczyk, acting chief technology and information officer at MTN Group Fintech, stated, "The MoMo Evolved Migration advances our vision of building Africa's leading digital financial platform. Through a cloud-native foundation, we are enhancing performance, strengthening resilience, and accelerating the delivery of innovative digital financial services for consumers, merchants, and partners across our markets."

Hossam Kandeel head of Mobile Money and business development, Ericsson West and Southern Africa, commented, "Modernizing mobile financial services infrastructure is essential to supporting the continued growth of digital financial ecosystems. Through the Ericsson Fintech Platform, we have helped MTN Group Fintech establish a cloud native foundation that improves operational efficiency, strengthens platform performance and enables the scalability needed to support future innovation and financial inclusion."

Ericsson and MTN Group Fintech have worked together for more than 10 years to develop mobile financial services across Africa. The Ericsson Fintech Platform builds on this partnership by providing an infrastructure foundation for expanding digital financial services, deepening engagement with developers and ecosystem partners, and supporting the continued growth of MTN’s fintech operations.

Comsol launches wholesale 5G infrastructure for home broadband. (Image source: Comsol)

Comsol, a South African fixed wireless connectivity and private network operator with almost 30 years of industry experience, is expanding into the residential broadband market as a wholesale 5G infrastructure provider

The expansion is supported by two new shareholders: Platform Investment Partners, which has invested in 10 founder-stage fibre businesses across four markets during the past decade, and privately owned investment firm Wimsey Capital.

The revised shareholder structure follows the departure of Nedbank Private Equity, part of Nedbank CIB, from its investment in Comsol. Convergence Partners, a significant and established investor in the company, is providing further growth funding alongside Solcon Capital. Comsol founder and CEO Iain Stevenson, through Mactavish Investments, continues to hold an interest and is contributing additional capital. RMB structured and provided a comprehensive funding package that facilitated the shareholder transaction and will finance Comsol’s planned strategic capital expenditure programme.

Through the new offering, South African internet service providers (ISPs), mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) and other prospective partners can access a standalone 5G-Advanced* network designed specifically for fixed wireless access (FWA). Comsol owns and manages the infrastructure and provides it as a complete wholesale service, leaving partners responsible for their customer relationships and market strategies, including branding, pricing, product positioning and customer support.

More than one million Gauteng households covered

Comsol began deploying its network six months ago and has already reached more than one million households across Gauteng. The company plans to achieve comprehensive Gauteng coverage by March 2027, before extending the rollout into the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and major regional centres during 2027 and 2028.

The operator plans to deploy approximately 2,000 base stations nationwide, creating one of South Africa’s largest standards-based and high-capacity 5G networks. The infrastructure will provide service providers with an additional wholesale connectivity option and greater access to network capacity. By introducing new infrastructure into the market, Comsol expects to strengthen competition and expand consumer choice.

"Comsol anticipates where the market is heading and builds ahead of demand,” said Stevenson. “This is why we were investing in licensed spectrum years before its strategic value was widely understood and building private 5G before the market had grasped what it would enable. We see 5G-Advanced for the home as a big growth opportunity.

"ICASA has allocated spectrum to network providers to expand broadband access and increase competition in the market. We believe the way to honour that mandate is to build wholesale infrastructure that extends high-speed broadband to new customer segments and creates a platform for more competition at the well-established service provider layer.”

Experienced investors support infrastructure expansion

Comsol anticipates where the market is heading and builds ahead of demand

Shaun Clark, CEO of Platform Investment Partners, said, “We have spent years investing in the construction of open-access digital infrastructure in South Africa, and were founding investors in assets such as DFA, Conduct, Vumatel and N99. Our approach has always been to identify trends in technology adoption and invest behind them. We see fixed wireless as an important part of the connectivity market. Comsol is a natural fit with our portfolio of digital infrastructure businesses, which are all centred around a neutral host model.”

“We see a significant opportunity in 5G fixed wireless access to bring high-quality connectivity to more South African households. Comsol has a multi-decade track record of successfully building and delivering advanced wireless networks in diverse contexts. We are excited to back the business and partner with the world-class Comsol team as they build and scale this next phase of growth,” stated Richard Ladbrook, director of Wimsey Capital. 

Andile Ngcaba, executive chairman of Convergence Partners and chairman of the Comsol board, said, “Comsol is well positioned as the world transitions from 5G to 6G. The depth of its spectrum and nationwide network presence across all provinces creates a significant opportunity to serve South Africa’s enterprise, private and public sectors. Comsol’s platform is equally relevant to urban and rural markets, and to companies of all sizes.”

For Nedbank Private Equity, the transaction marks the end of a nine-year investment in Comsol. Yougan Moodley of Nedbank Private Equity said: “We are proud to have supported the company's growth, network rollout and value creation journey alongside management and our co-shareholders. The transaction positions Comsol strongly for its next phase of growth.”

The case for 5G-Advanced residential broadband

Comsol’s wholesale 5G-Advanced service is intended to complement fibre infrastructure while extending the availability and choice of residential broadband. Around 15% of South African households currently have fibre connections, with deployments concentrated mainly in densely populated metropolitan areas where trenching economics are more favourable. A sizeable opportunity therefore remains in suburban and adjacent markets where 5G FWA can be deployed faster and at significantly lower infrastructure costs.

Comsol’s 5G-Advanced FWA network is designed to deliver the capacity needed for large-scale residential broadband deployments, potentially allowing entire towns to receive coverage within weeks.

Developments in regulation and technology have also improved the economics of 5G-Advanced FWA. Comsol secured its C-band spectrum licence from ICASA in 2022, giving investors greater certainty around network development. The spectrum allocation supports differentiated speed tiers and competitive consumer pricing. At the same time, falling costs for 5G chipsets and customer-premises equipment (CPE) are reducing entry costs for consumers and ISPs.

As a new wholesale 5G market participant, Comsol is also deploying a modern standalone 5G core without the constraints associated with legacy network technologies.

The company expects these characteristics to contribute to strong FWA growth over the next five years. ICASA figures indicate that FWA subscriptions increased by approximately 39% year on year in 2025.** BMIT forecasts that 5G could represent as much as 67% of residential FWA connections by 2029, compared with 35% in 2024.***

A purpose-built network architecture

Comsol’s infrastructure is among only two production standalone 5G cores currently operating in South Africa. Its architecture provides ultra-low latency and dedicated capacity management capabilities that are not available to the same extent in hybrid 4G/5G deployments. The network also offers approximately twice the uplink performance of conventional 5G mobile operator networks.

The company’s 5G-Advanced implementation is IMT-conformant and incorporates standards-based technologies designed to increase network capacity while reducing the cost per bit. The infrastructure has been engineered specifically for high-capacity residential 5G connectivity at scale.

Greater flexibility for wholesale partners

Comsol’s wholesale model is designed to keep the operator separate from its partners’ consumer-facing businesses. ISPs and other customers maintain control over their market strategies, including pricing, packaging, billing, branding and customer relationships.

Through its API-enabled platform, Comsol allows partners to launch branded 5G-Advanced FWA services within weeks while maintaining significant control over product development and customer engagement.

The network is also designed to help ISPs reach additional customer groups whose broadband requirements centre on applications such as streaming, video conferencing and smart-home services. Its API-driven architecture allows partners to create tailored packages for different segments and modify or introduce products within hours, giving them greater flexibility to respond to shifts in customer demand.

Nigeria and Burkina Faso are exploring Project BRIDGE routes aimed at making internet connectivity more affordable across the region

Nigeria and Burkina Faso are deepening cooperation on digital connectivity through Project BRIDGE, with technical teams set to assess routes that could help reduce the cost of internet connectivity in Burkina Faso by as much as 50%.

Nigeria’s minister of communications, innovation and digital economy, Dr Bosun Tijani, discussed the initiative during a visit to Ouagadougou, where he met Burkina Faso’s Minister for Digital Transition, Posts and Communication, Dr Aminata Zerbo-Sabané.

Connectivity was a central focus of the discussions, with Project BRIDGE providing a framework for exploring stronger digital links between the two countries.

Under the proposed cooperation, technical teams will model connectivity routes through Nigeria-Niger-Burkina Faso and Nigeria-Benin-Burkina Faso. The assessment aims to identify a potential pathway for lowering internet connectivity costs in Burkina Faso by up to 50%.

Project BRIDGE is also intended to support faster, more affordable and resilient internet connectivity for Nigerians, while the proposed cross-border routes could strengthen regional digital infrastructure.

Wider digital cooperation

Nigeria and Burkina Faso have agreed to establish a Technical Working Committee to develop the implementation framework for their broader digital partnership.

The cooperation will extend beyond fibre connectivity to include digital skills and talent development. As part of this effort, Nigeria plans to share its 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) model with Burkina Faso.

The two countries will also work towards stronger connections between their startup ecosystems and explore collaboration around Burkina Faso’s Innovation Campus.

Further areas of proposed cooperation include artificial intelligence, local-language technologies, shared computing infrastructure, cybersecurity and research.

The partnership therefore covers both physical connectivity and wider digital capabilities, with the two countries seeking to strengthen collaboration across several areas of the digital economy.

Strengthening regional connectivity

The engagement forms part of Nigeria’s broader outreach to neighbouring countries. It follows a recent visit to Benin Republic, while further engagements with Niger and Chad are planned as part of the four-country regional initiative.

The wider objective is to use Nigeria’s expanding digital infrastructure and capabilities to support shared economic opportunities across national borders and deepen regional economic integration.

The initiative also forms part of Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen its position as a digital gateway connecting West Africa and the Sahel.