Mobile, Telecom & Connectivity
The latest Mobile, Telecom & Connectivity stories, scored against the thesis and threaded over time.
Safaricom: the government is appealing its own deal
The detail that keeps nagging: it's Kenya's attorney-general who brought the application to fast-track the appeal — the same government that sold the shares, banked KSh204 billion, and took an extra KSh40 billion upfront against future…
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What’s developing right now — ranked by recency, momentum, and importance.
- 1
NCC Sets Deadline to Disconnect Unregistered Phones in Nigeria's Device Market
Latest: NCC publishes practical guidance on verifying device approval status, following earlier clarifications about data privacy limits of the Device Checker tool.
- 2
Global Smartphone Shipments Fall 20% to 14-Year Low
Latest: IDC data identifies Sub-Saharan Africa as the hardest-hit region in the global smartphone shipment slump, sharpening the continent-specific impact of the device market decline
- 3
MTN Achieves 10Gbit/s in South Africa 5G-Advanced Wireless Trial
Latest: MTN confirms 10Gbps 5G-Advanced trial result on upper 6GHz band, framing commercial rollout as the next milestone
- 4
Nigeria Records 1.76 Million Terabytes of Data Consumption in August 2026
Latest: New reporting contextualises the record 1.76M TB August figure within an eight-month consumption trend that has already consumed 90% of 2025's annual volume
- 5
Spotify Rolls Out Audiobook Service to Nigerian Platform
Latest: Spotify's Nigeria audiobook rollout is confirmed at a ₦2,300 monthly price point as the company formalises its digital content expansion in Africa's largest audio market
The feed
- 2026-10-17TakeUnverified — not yet reviewed
Safaricom Stake Deal Frozen
The detail that keeps nagging: it's Kenya's attorney-general who brought the application to fast-track the appeal — the same government that sold the shares, banked KSh204 billion, and took an extra…
- 2026-10-17Unverified — not yet reviewed
Nigeria's 1,989 Rural Towers Plan
Nigeria's federal government has announced a plan to deploy 1,989 new telecom towers across rural areas, with Benue State identified as a lead beneficiary and a stated target of reaching seven…
- 2026-10-17Unverified — not yet reviewed
EU Backs Nigeria Fibre Megaplan
The European Union has granted €14 million to support the planning of a 90,000-kilometre fibre optic network across Nigeria. If executed, the network would represent a transformative expansion of the…
- 2026-10-17Unverified — not yet reviewed
SA Startup's Universal Travel eSIM
South Africa-founded startup KnowRoaming has launched what it describes as a universal 'one eSIM for life' product aimed at international travellers, targeting the cross-border connectivity pain…
- 2026-10-17Unverified — not yet reviewed
Kenya 5G Phone Price Cut
Safaricom and TECNO have reduced the price of the POVA Curve 2 5G handset by KSh 11,000 in a joint move to accelerate 5G adoption in Kenya. The cut directly addresses the affordability barrier that…
- 2026-10-17Unverified — not yet reviewed
Africa's Spectrum Cost Disadvantage
New GSMA data quantifies that African mobile operators pay comparatively more for spectrum allocations than their global counterparts while receiving less capacity in return. The finding is being…
- 2026-10-17Unverified — not yet reviewed
NCC's Device Approval Checker
Nigeria's National Communications Commission has published guidance explaining how consumers can verify whether their mobile devices are approved for use on Nigerian networks. The information is…
- 2026-10-17Unverified — not yet reviewed
Telkom's R20M Election Pledge
Telkom South Africa has pledged R20 million to support connectivity and communications infrastructure for upcoming local government elections. The commitment signals an intersection between telecoms…
- 2026-10-17Unverified — not yet reviewed
Jarana's Rural Connectivity Mission
A profile of Vuyani Jarana traces his personal journey from childhood fascination with radio technology to becoming an advocate for rural connectivity across Africa. The piece offers limited new…
- 2026-10-16Unverified — not yet reviewed
SSA Worst Hit in Smartphone Slump
New IDC data identifies Sub-Saharan Africa as the region most severely affected by what is already described as the worst quarter yet for global smartphone shipments. The finding compounds existing…
- 2026-10-16Unverified — not yet reviewed
Starlink Reaches Zambia Schools
Paratus Zambia has delivered Starlink satellite internet connectivity to more than 10,000 vulnerable children at Family Legacy schools in Zambia. The deployment is being cited as a meaningful rural…
- 2026-10-16Unverified — not yet reviewed
Nigeria Pushes Rural Connectivity Fix
Nigerian industry stakeholders are calling for integrated infrastructure investment to shift rural connectivity from coverage to active usage, according to a policy forum. No binding commitments or…
- 2026-10-16Unverified — not yet reviewed
Uganda Consumer Audits MTN, Airtel
A consumer-led 48-hour data consumption audit in Uganda has produced figures that challenge the billing accuracy of both Airtel and MTN, raising accountability questions for two of the country's…
- 2026-10-16Unverified — not yet reviewed
WhatsApp Opens Calls to Non-Users
WhatsApp has introduced guest call links enabling video and voice calls with up to 32 participants who do not have the app installed. The feature has moderate relevance for African markets where…
- 2026-10-15Unverified — not yet reviewed
MTN Sets 10Gbps 5G-Advanced Record
MTN has recorded what it describes as an Africa-first 10 gigabit-per-second result in a 5G-Advanced trial on the upper 6GHz band in South Africa. The operator says commercial rollout planning is the…
- 2026-10-15Unverified — not yet reviewed
Nigeria 5G Share Jumps 60%
Nigeria's 5G network share has risen 60 percent while 3G usage declines, according to new telecom market data. The shift is being cited as a concrete infrastructure signal with direct implications…
- 2026-10-15Unverified — not yet reviewed
NCC Clamps Down on Fake Devices
Nigeria's National Communications Commission has registered 231 million devices as part of its IMEI database enforcement programme, and is advancing measures to block counterfeit and cloned handsets…
- 2026-10-15Unverified — not yet reviewed
Kenya Pipeline Builds Fibre Business
Kenya Pipeline Company is developing a wholesale fibre business built on its existing infrastructure footprint, responding to growing demand for digital connectivity. The company separately reported…
- 2026-10-15Unverified — not yet reviewed
OneData Boosts Routing Resilience
Nigerian internet service provider OneData has partnered with Workonline to improve routing and network redundancy, in a cross-border infrastructure resilience move. The partnership addresses…
- 2026-10-15Unverified — not yet reviewed
SA Streaming Falls Behind Peers
South Africa's over-the-top video streaming market is growing more slowly than Kenya and Nigeria due to affordability pressures, according to new market analysis. The divergence is shifting digital…
- 2026-10-15Unverified — not yet reviewed
9mobile Sheds 8,000 Subscribers
T2mobile, formerly 9mobile, has lost nearly 8,000 subscribers through number porting in the year following its roaming deal, continuing a pattern of competitive pressure and brand erosion in…
- 2026-10-15Unverified — not yet reviewed
Spotify Audiobooks Arrive in Nigeria
Spotify has officially expanded its audiobook offering to Nigeria, adding a new content category to its platform in one of Africa's largest digital audio markets. The rollout signals continued…
- 2026-10-14TakeUnverified — not yet reviewed
Nigeria's RoW Fees Choke Fibre
Thirteen years of a signed agreement, three federal interventions, and the number on paper is still ₦145 per metre. The number on the ground is anywhere from ₦850 to ₦700,000.
- 2026-10-14Unverified — not yet reviewed
MTN Hits 10Gbps in 5G Trial
MTN has recorded 10 gigabits per second wireless speeds during a 5G-Advanced trial in South Africa, raising the stakes in ongoing spectrum allocation battles. The result is being cited as a benchmark…