Ooredoo Group partners with NVIDIA to lead the AI revolution in MENA, providing governments, enterprises, and startups with advanced AI-ready platforms. (Image source: Ooredoo Group)

Ooredoo Group has declared it is becoming an NVIDIA Cloud Partner (NCP), in line with its ambition to become the premier digital infrastructure provider in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region

This collaboration allows Ooredoo to utilise NVIDIA’s advanced accelerated computing platform to drive the AI revolution in the area.

Leveraging the substantial market demand for accelerated computing and hyperconnectivity throughout its MENA footprint, Ooredoo is creating an AI-ready platform powered by NVIDIA’s comprehensive innovation across systems, software, and services.

This platform will be an essential asset, supporting governments and empowering enterprises and startups to securely process their private datasets, producing valuable insights as tokens that drive innovations for its users.

Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo, Group CEO, Ooredoo, commented, “Implementing NVIDIA's full-stack platform for accelerated computing and generative AI, Ooredoo is equipped to be at the forefront of the AI revolution in MENA, driving digitalisation and innovation as the leading digital infrastructure provider in the region. Working with NVIDIA, we aim to meet the significantly growing demand for accelerated computing infrastructure to support advanced AI models.”

Transforming industries with next-generation AI and GPU offerings

This collaboration provides governments, enterprises, and startups in Qatar, Algeria, Tunisia, Oman, Kuwait, and the Maldives access to NVIDIA's latest full-stack AI platform.

Ooredoo intends to deploy thousands of NVIDIA Tensor Core GPUs in its AI data centres to support the region, enabling customers to use a state-of-the-art AI platform with advanced infrastructure, tools, and software

This will optimise processes and enhance operational efficiencies across industries.

Customers will benefit from Ooredoo’s GPU-as-a-Service, which offers on-demand access to some of the most advanced AI and machine learning tools available - including one of the most transformative technologies today, generative AI.

Ronnie Vasishta, senior vice-president of Telecom, NVIDIA, said, “As a trusted regional telecommunications provider, Ooredoo Group combines deep enterprise and consumer relationships with the ability to invest in and deploy AI infrastructure and services. By providing NVIDIA’s full-stack AI computing platform to customers, Ooredoo will help make it easier for their customers to deploy generative AI applications and services.”

Ooredoo driving regional growth through localised Infrastructure and AI hosting solutions

Ooredoo Group’s collaboration with NVIDIA is part of its broader goal to enhance AI infrastructure in the MENA region, while providing improved security, optimised performance, and customisation to meet local standards.

This enables the countries where Ooredoo operates to establish local clouds, fostering the development of local AI ecosystems and applications, and strengthening data security measures.

Ooredoo will offer GPU-as-infrastructure, giving its customers the flexibility to integrate accelerated computing with their own cloud solutions or host them on-premises. This ensures customers have the most efficient and tailored AI processing capabilities available.

This initiative is expected to stimulate economic growth, job creation, and technological innovation across the region by providing customers with a cutting-edge AI cloud platform. Ooredoo will work closely with stakeholders in each country to ensure alignment with local requirements and to maximize the benefits of its AI initiatives to advance sovereign AI goals.

A leading digital infrastructure provider

Ooredoo’s digital ecosystem includes core telecom services and a dedicated data centre platform, along with independent entities focused on wireless towers, financial technology, and subsea cable ventures. This aligns with Ooredoo's strategy to transform into a telecom and infrastructure holding with a de-layered multi-business structure, aiming to become the neutral carrier of choice, creating synergies across its ecosystem while ensuring business sustainability and growth.

The agreement with NVIDIA was signed during TMForum’s DTW24 in Copenhagen in the presence of Ooredoo Group CEO Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo and NVIDIA Senior Vice President of Telecom Ronnie Vasishta.

NETSCOUT partners with Vodafone to enhance network performance and customer experience. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC. has extended its ongoing partnership with Vodafone to boost the performance of Vodafone’s networks for its customers

Under this multi-year agreement, NETSCOUT will utilise its InfinistreamNG technology to deliver real-time, comprehensive monitoring solutions across Vodafone’s physical and virtual network infrastructure, encompassing 5G Standalone capabilities. This collaboration provides Vodafone with precise visibility into all aspects of its networks, allowing detailed analysis of data flow and performance to optimise the customer experience.

“Vodafone is leading the way in developing next-generation telecommunications infrastructure,” stated Michael Szabados, chief operating officer, NETSCOUT. “We value our relationship in providing them with proven service assurance technology across their entire hybrid environment. Our ability to generate smart data and insights to inform their analytics platform helps them enhance their service offerings at scale.”

NETSCOUT InfinistreamNG helps service providers embrace their transition to next-generation platforms by providing network and application visibility for optimal performance and availability with enhanced security.

“NETSCOUT has been a valuable partner for many years. InfinistreamNG gives us the visibility to analyse packet and flow data for greater control of our services, networks, and applications across our European hybrid environment,” stated Simon Norton, head of digital & OSS, Vodafone. “With NETSCOUT’s solutions, we’re able to analyse and enhance our network performance to deliver an exceptional customer experience.”

NETSCOUT’s agreement covers the virtual and 5G environments across Vodafone’s European operations and Vodafone Group entities and services.

Airtel Africa partners with WebEngage to enhance digital customer management, driving personalised experiences and boosting engagement across Africa. (Image source: Airtel Africa)

Airtel Africa, a prominent telecommunications group with over 150 million subscribers in 14 African countries, has teamed up with WebEngage to enhance its digital customer base management

As Africa’s second-largest telecom provider, Airtel boasts over 60 million data users among its total customer base. Committed to bridging the digital divide and fostering financial inclusion across the continent, Airtel delivers mobile money, entertainment, and digital services to all its users.

How is digital engagement enhanced?

Through this integration, Airtel aims to closely monitor user activities and offer highly personalised services, thereby boosting customer retention and engagement. The partnership will extend to Airtel Money, Smart Cash in Nigeria, and Airtel TV, ensuring seamless and tailored digital experiences across various platforms, including Web, App, in-app, Meta, Google, and traditional channels like SMS and email.

Airtel Africa’s group senior vice-president: digital & product, Priya Thakoor, stated, “With a massive rollout completed within three-month timeframe, WebEngage’s CDP is now observing more than 600 user actions across all 14 markets and consistently building an actionable digital profile list. More than 30 highly personalized customer journeys are live, engaging more than one million subscribers and resulting in over 30% conversions.

Our objective is to improve CLTV for every customer with highly targeted offerings across channels that meet their individual needs. We have built a foundation of digital customer base management with WebEngage for My Airtel app, driving customer engagement and deeper product penetration into mobile money and adjacent digital services. It must be stated that in all this we ensure complete customer privacy.”

Hetarth Patel, vice-president - growth markets (MEA, Americas, APAC), WebEngage, said, “We are elated about this partnership with Airtel Africa to transform their customer value management. With our advanced customer data platform, cutting-edge analytics, generative AI, and personalided capabilities, we will help them achieve 1:1 customer engagement on owned, paid media, and digital channels. There are numerous use cases we have planned to increase app usage, retain users on digital properties, and improve CLTV. Our on-ground customer success teams based in Nairobi and Dubai will work hand-in-hand with Airtel OpCos and Group to accelerate this execution.”

This collaboration signifies a larger trend of digital transformation within the telecom industry, where companies are evolving into technology-driven entities by collaborating with innovative solution providers like WebEngage. Telecom companies are leveraging their deep insights into customers’ non-linear journeys and setting benchmarks for exceptional customer experiences across all channels, both traditional and digital, as well as paid, owned, and third-party media.

WebEngage is a distinguished player in the MarTech (marketing technology) SaaS sector worldwide, serving over 800 clients across various industries such as retail, education, finance, food and beverages, media and publications, and healthcare. Its partnerships have led to significant improvements in customer experiences, operational revenue, and digital transformation. With Airtel Africa, WebEngage anticipates a substantial impact both financially and socially.

A financing package from IFC and Proparco is set to support the expansion strategy of digital infrastructure provider WIOCC Group in three African countries.

This funding will bolster the continent’s digital infrastructure and connectivity, promoting economic growth.

The package comprises loans totaling US$10mn and ZAR 200 million (approx. US$11mn) from IFC, part of the World Bank Group, and US$20mn from Proparco, a development finance institution affiliated with the Agence Française de Développement Group. Additionally, WIOCC anticipates securing another US$10mn loan from RMB in the coming weeks to further its expansion in Nigeria. The funds will enable WIOCC Group to enhance its core and edge data centres in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, and South Africa to meet the increasing demand for colocation and other data centre services. Furthermore, it will expand its fibre networks, helping to bridge the digital divide and fostering economic growth across Africa.

Sustainable growth how?

The financing is structured as sustainability-linked debt, with interest rates tied to WIOCC's commitment to enhancing the energy efficiency of its data centres and achieving EDGE green building certification. EDGE, an innovation by IFC, simplifies the design and certification of resource-efficient and zero-carbon buildings.

We are excited to conclude this next stage of our capital raise, which will enable significant expansion, adding further capacity to our open-access data centre operation and extending open-access hyperscale national, international, and metro connectivity across our key markets in Nigeria, southern Africa, the DRC and Greater East and Central Africa,” said Chris Wood, CEO of WIOCC Group. “Our policy of continual investment in infrastructure to create Africa’s first, truly open-access interconnected digital ecosystem means ongoing investment for growth, ensuring readiness to meet the future demands of our clients’ customers throughout Africa.”

“The Agence Française de Développement Group have been supporting WIOCC since its inception back in 2007,” said Ariane Ducreux, head of energy, digital and infrastructure at PROPARCO. “We are very proud to pursue this long-term partnership by supporting the expansion of the Open Access Data Centres’ activities in Nigeria, South Africa, DRC and beyond. Truly neutral and open-access data centres are the cornerstone of a diversified digital ecosystem. Local data storage and processing capacity are also vital for the resilience of Africa’s digital network, as recent outages have demonstrated. The sustainability-linked structure of this new financing, along with technical assistance support, also aims to incentivise the rollout of energy and water efficient data centres, while adapting implementations to the specs of each site environment.”

“Our long-standing partnership with WIOCC of more than 15 years demonstrates IFC’s commitment to increasing affordable and reliable digital connectivity in Africa through shared infrastructure. This new debt facility will help WIOCC fulfil its ambition to establish an integrated, open-access, core-to-edge cloud ecosystem throughout the African continent, which is critical to bridge the digital divide,” said Bertrand de la Borde, IFC global industry director of infrastructure.

“RMB is thrilled to be a Strategic Banking Partner to WIOCC. Digital Infrastructure is one of our core sectors of expertise as a Bank. As such, we are excited at the opportunity to support this deal and remain committed to partnering with WIOCC on its growth journey across the continent,” said Chidi Iwuchukwu (head of investment banking, broader Africa - RMB).

Since its inception in 2007, WIOCC has been investing in Africa's digital backbone, delivering open-access infrastructure to meet the growing demand for reliable connectivity solutions throughout the continent.

As WIOCC Group continues to transform digital Africa, this latest capital raise signifies a major milestone in its journey towards building a more connected Africa, fostering long-term partnerships and sustainability.