MTN, Chenosis and TransUnion introduce data-driven tool for financial inclusion in SA

In a pioneering move aimed at boosting financial inclusion, MTN and its digital arm, Chenosis, have partnered with TransUnion Africa to introduce the TransUnion Telco Data Score – a new credit scoring tool that uses mobile phone call data records to assess consumers who have little to no formal credit history

This innovative credit model relies on Call Data Records (CDRs), which reveal user activity on mobile networks. The data is analysed to draw connections between phone usage behaviour and financial responsibility. By using these insights, the TransUnion Telco Data Score gives lenders a way to assess New-to-Credit (NTC) individuals and offer them safer, more accessible credit options.

Supporting those excluded from traditional credit

TransUnion estimates that each year, more than 1.4 million South Africans without established credit histories open new accounts – totalling over four million in just the last three years. Despite this, many of these individuals remain outside the formal financial system due to limitations of conventional credit assessment tools, leaving over 16 million adults unaccounted for.

Around 35% of new credit applicants are under 25 and just entering the workforce. Many of them use their first credit opportunities to purchase necessities like workwear, illustrating the demand for solutions tailored to younger, digital-savvy consumers without credit records. Bringing these individuals into the financial fold could add as much as R173 billion to the South African economy.

“With over 500 million people across the continent excluded from formal financial systems, the scale of the challenge is undeniable. Traditional data models fail to reflect the realities of African consumers, leaving millions without access to credit and the opportunities it enables. Financial inclusion isn’t just part of our mission, it’s our mandate,” said Lee Naik, CEO of TransUnion Africa.

“That’s why we believe the only way forward is to think differently, to lead with bold, African-born solutions. Innovations like TransUnion Telco Data Score, designed for Africa, by Africa, are helping us responsibly harness mobile data at scale. In doing so, we’re not only expanding access to credit, but we’re also unlocking economic potential, accelerating inclusive growth, and reshaping the future of finance across the continent.”

Prioritising privacy and secure data use

The CDR-based credit scoring approach is based on explicit user consent and complies with South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). MTN will manage the consent process, while its API platform, Chenosis, provides secure and scalable connectivity between MTN’s data and partners such as TransUnion.

“This partnership demonstrates how mobile technology and secure data sharing can support positive change in the financial sector and unlock new opportunities for millions of South Africans,” said Selorm Adadevoh, group chief commercial officer, MTN Group. “We are committed to ensuring that data is used responsibly, with the customer’s interests at the forefront. This is a model of what responsible innovation can look like.”

Enhancing lending insights and outcomes

The TransUnion Telco Data Score has shown a 25–35% improvement in predicting financial behaviour compared to other alternative scoring models, according to recent pre-launch evaluations in banking and retail.

With better visibility into risk, lenders can use the score to lend more responsibly, identify at-risk borrowers, and help build sustainable credit pathways for new entrants to the credit system. TransUnion data also shows that individuals with low-risk profiles tend to increase their credit usage significantly within 18 months of becoming credit active.

“With Chenosis, we enable collaboration between mobile operators and solution providers while maintaining high security and compliance standards,” said Waseem Amra, general manager – Products and Platforms. “This partnership highlights how secure data access can support innovation in financial services that can transform lives.”

The collaboration between TransUnion Africa, MTN, and Chenosis marks a significant step toward using unconventional data sources to improve financial access. Mobile network data offers a scalable and effective method to evaluate new customers while upholding strong privacy and security standards.

“With this inclusive innovation, TransUnion has taken the lead in creating an impactful solution to one of the continent’s most pressing challenges – finding responsible pathways to greater financial inclusion that will unlock opportunities for individual and national growth. By turning mobile data into meaningful opportunity, we have set the standard in making transformation possible by showing how technology can be used in groundbreaking alternative ways. Together with MTN and Chenosis, we are building a future where every South African, regardless of their financial history, has the chance to be seen, to be trusted, and to thrive,” Naik concluded. “When financial institutions can measure risk more effectively, they can lend more confidently, and more consumers can access opportunity, and that’s a win for everyone.”

Strategic partnership enhances connectivity across Africa, Latin America and beyond

Rack Centre, West Africa’s premier carrier- and cloud-neutral Tier III data centre, has signed a strategic co-location agreement with TelCables Nigeria, a subsidiary of Angola Cables and one of Africa’s most connected network operators

The partnership will see TelCables Nigeria integrate its high-capacity network and cloud infrastructure directly into Rack Centre’s ecosystem, leveraging four international subsea cables – SACS, MONET, SEBRAS and EllaLink.

This deployment significantly strengthens Rack Centre’s intercontinental reach by delivering resilient, low-latency routes to Europe, the Americas and Latin America. It also helps mitigate the risks of future cable outages along West Africa’s coast, a growing concern for regional digital infrastructure.

“Our unique Africa – to – Latin America route via SACS, combined with MONET, SEBRAS and EllaLink, gives customers the lowest - latency paths to the Americas and Europe,” said Fernando Fernandes, CEO of TelCables Nigeria. “Businesses in latency sensitive sectors: financial services, content delivery and real-time communications will experience faster transactions, reduced lag and an enhanced user experience. By hosting at Rack Centre we also localise Clouds2Africa resources, price them in naira, and remove expensive ingress/egress charges or FX exposure.”

The agreement brings several advantages to Rack Centre’s clients, including:

• Dark fibre integration for enhanced performance through diverse, redundant connections.

• On-net availability of Clouds2Africa’s IaaS, PaaS and CDN services, offered within a localised, data-sovereign environment.

• Direct access to leading public cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure and Google Cloud.

• High-speed intercontinental connectivity to three continents, including the only direct path between Africa and Latin America.

The collaboration supports Rack Centre’s ongoing expansion, including its new 13.5MW LGS2 facility, designed with sustainability in mind and powered by renewable energy. The campus currently hosts more than 70 carriers, ISPs, and network operators.

“Adding a global operator of Angola Cables’ calibre through TelCables Nigeria dramatically deepens our connectivity fabric,” remarked Lars Johannisson, CEO of Rack Centre. “We can now offer 99.95 % SLA routes to more destinations, enabling enterprises, governments and cloud providers to meet performance and data-residency requirements while keeping traffic local.”

Starlink resumes new registrations in Nairobi after capacity upgrade

Starlink, the satellite internet service by SpaceX, has resumed new user registrations in Nairobi and nearby counties including Kiambu, Machakos, Kajiado and Murang’a, following a suspension that began in November 2024

The temporary pause was introduced to manage overwhelming demand that had caused network congestion and slower speeds for users in these densely populated areas. With capacity now expanded, the company has re-opened its services to new subscribers.

As reported by The Kenya Times, the company had earlier explained, with too many users were trying to access the Starlink service within Nairobi and there isn’t enough bandwidth to support additional residential or roaming customers at this time.

“Nairobi and neighboring areas are currently at network capacity. This means that too many users are trying to access the Starlink service within Nairobi and there isn’t enough bandwidth to support additional residential or roaming customers at this time,” Starlink said.

“No roaming plans are available in Kenya at this time. Starlink is working to restore service in the disrupted areas and a notification will be sent once the residential plan is back.”

In January 2025, Starlink activated a new ground station in Nairobi to boost local bandwidth and enhance service stability. This move appears to have resolved the prior limitations, with multiple users confirming successful activations in June 2025.

As stated in The Kenya Times, the company has also expanded its footprint in Southern Africa. Lesotho granted Starlink a ten year operating licence in April 2025, following a year-long regulatory process. Under the name Starlink Lesotho (Pty) Ltd, the company will provide high-speed satellite broadband to homes and businesses nationwide.

Strategic partnership expands secure colocation and cloud services across South Africa's key markets. (Image source: African Data Centres)

Africa Data Centres, part of pan-African technology group Cassava Technologies, has entered a commercial agreement with South African enterprise IT solutions provider Blue Turtle to expand colocation services in its Cape Town and Midrand data centres

The collaboration is set to enhance South Africa’s digital infrastructure landscape, offering scalable, secure, and compliant colocation and private hosted cloud solutions to local businesses.

Through this partnership, Blue Turtle will deploy multiple racks in both facilities, giving its enterprise customers access to top-tier digital infrastructure. This setup supports a broad shift among South African enterprises toward cloud adoption, digital transformation, and more agile, data-driven operations in a performance-optimised and regulation-compliant environment.

“This partnership enables us to offer customers trusted colocation and private cloud solutions in two of South Africa’s most strategic data centre locations,” said Jan Hitge, head of managed services at Blue Turtle. “As enterprise clients increasingly look for secure, scalable, and cost-efficient alternatives to on-premises infrastructure, we anticipate strong market uptake – a confidence reflected in the accelerated ramp-up timeline we’ve committed to.”

The services delivered through this partnership are expected to help enterprises update their IT strategies, address data sovereignty demands, and meet compliance requirements under South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). By offering low-latency connections, disaster recovery solutions, and high-availability colocation, the collaboration aims to support the growing demand for secure digital ecosystems.

“This agreement is about more than just filling racks; it’s about enabling digital transformation across the economy,” remarked Adil El Youssefi, CEO of Africa Data Centres. “Blue Turtle brings a strong client base and the ability to scale rapidly, making them an ideal partner in our mission to deliver secure, resilient, and sustainable digital infrastructure across South Africa. As demand for trusted infrastructure continues to climb, we will work towards this partnership evolving to support broader cloud initiatives, edge computing, and AI-ready infrastructure deployments.”

The alliance also strengthens Africa Data Centres’ ability to serve the enterprise sector by leveraging Blue Turtle’s local market presence and established reputation for delivering effective IT solutions. As Africa Data Centres continues to grow its footprint across the continent, partnerships like this one help reinforce South Africa’s leadership position in Africa’s tech and cloud ecosystem.

Africa Data Centres operates the largest interconnected and neutral data centre platform across the continent. With support from partners like Blue Turtle, the company aims to drive the next stage of enterprise transformation, powering critical services and digital progress throughout South Africa.