MTN Group has denied claims made by Ghanaian technology company Clydestone Ghana PLC after the latter initiated legal proceedings over the origins of mobile money services in Ghana, insisting the allegations are without merit and will be vigorously contested.

The response was issued through the Ghana Stock Exchange by Scancom PLC (MTN Ghana), after Clydestone announced on 28 July that it had filed a lawsuit at the High Court in Accra against MTN Ghana, MTN Group and MobileMoney Fintech LTD.

In a market announcement, MTN Ghana confirmed it had been served with a writ of summons and statement of claim relating to Clydestone’s alleged role in the launch of mobile money services in Ghana almost two decades ago.

However, the operator rejected the allegations.

« MTN Ghana does not accept the claims made, considers them without merit, and will contest the proceedings fully, » the company said, adding that it would not comment further while the matter remains before the court.

The operator also sought to reassure investors that the legal proceedings would have no impact on its business.

« MTN Ghana assures all its stakeholders that the proceedings do not affect its operations, services, performance, results or Mobile Money services, » the company said.

Clydestone alleges it played a foundational role in the introduction of mobile money services in Ghana and is seeking legal redress over issues dating back nearly 20 years.

MTN has not disclosed further details of the claim but said it will continue to comply with its disclosure obligations under the Ghana Stock Exchange’s listing rules and will update shareholders on any material developments.

MTN Nigeria growth

The dispute comes as MTN Group’s largest operating company, MTN Nigeria, reported a strong set of financial results for the first half of 2026.

The Nigerian business, which remains the group’s largest operation by subscriber numbers, grew its customer base by 8.9% year-on-year to 92.2 million, while active data users increased 9.3% to 55.7 million.

Service revenue rose 25.9% to NGN3.0 trillion (US$2.2 billion), while EBITDA climbed 39.2% to NGN1.7 trillion, lifting the EBITDA margin by 5.3 percentage points to 55.9%. Profit after tax increased 70.6% to NGN707.5 billion, supported by strong revenue growth, disciplined cost management and a more stable naira.

Commenting on the results, MTN Nigeria CEO Karl Toriola said the operator had delivered « a strong first-half performance, with sustained commercial momentum, improved profitability and robust cash generation, » despite a challenging macroeconomic environment.

He added that the company remained focused on expanding network capacity, strengthening customer experience, accelerating home broadband growth and improving its fintech business during the second half of the year.

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Oliver Norman, Chief Revenue Officer, Nomia

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African digital payments network Onafriq announced on Wednesday it is partnering with stablecoin infrastructure provider Privy to drive development of stablecoin-enabled crypto payment services across its network.

The initial phase of the partnership will focus on cross chain stablecoin transfers, and treasury and settlement workflows, which Onafriq said will create the foundation for future cross-border payment and liquidity solutions.

According to Onafriq, moving money between African markets remains a slow, fragmented process that relies on multiple intermediaries and prolonged settlement cycles. Stablecoins – a category of cryptocurrency pegged to fiat currencies, commodities, or financial instruments, which makes it less volatile than cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin – promise a viable alternative to eliminate those delays.

Onafriq said that integrating Privy’s secure infrastructure enables it to build the capabilities required to support a new generation of efficient digital payment services for banks, fintechs, and mobile money operators.

Luke Kyohere, group chief product and innovation officer at Onafriq, said its tie-up with Privy is a key component of its broader strategy to boost its pan-African payment infrastructure (which currently connects 43 African markets), enabling secure multi-modal wallets and more efficient movement of value across the continent.

“Privy gives us a building block for faster settlement and better liquidity management,” he said in a statement. “As demand for digital asset services grows, our goal is to ensure Africa’s payment ecosystem benefits securely and in line with regulatory frameworks.”

Privy can also enable the seamless integration of digital asset wallet capabilities into Onafriq products (subject to regulatory approval), and deliver a simple user experience while abstracting the complexity of blockchain technology, said Privy co-founder and CEO Henri Stern.

“Stablecoins will play an increasingly important role in the future of global payments, but real-world adoption depends on infrastructure that is secure, scalable and simple to implement,” Stern said. “Working with Onafriq allows us to help build that foundation across Africa and beyond.”

According to South Africa-based multinational banking and financial services firm Absa, stablecoin transactions surpassed US$34 trillion globally in 2025. In Sub-Saharan Africa, stablecoin accounts for 43% of all crypto transactions. Africa has become the fastest-growing market for stablecoin ownership, thanks to heavy adoption in Nigeria and South Africa, Absa says.

A report last month from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that Nigeria alone has accounted for around 60% of stablecoin inflows within sub-Saharan Africa since 2019. The appeal comes down to the fact that Stablecoins enable fast cross-border payments via smartphones with far lower transaction fees and without the burden of fluctuating foreign exchange rates.

That said, the IMF noted that stablecoins do present financial risks, such as reducing demand for local currency, which could weaken domestic monetary policy, and making transactions harder to monitor independently (as traditional transactions are), which increases risks of things like fraud and money laundering.

Onafriq emphasises that its stablecoin infrastructure will comply with all regulatory requirements in the markets where it operates – which also means service availability is subject to regulatory approval.

India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Ministry of Communications said on Thursday they have signed an MoU with the government of Madhya Pradesh to establish India’s first Telecom Manufacturing Zone (TMZ) to boost the country’s domestic telecoms manufacturing ecosystem.

In a post on social media site X, the DoT said the central government is providing 100% funding for Phase 1 of the project, and has allocated INR493 million (US$5.1 million) to develop core infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh government will supply around 170 acres of land in Gwalior at no cost.

A statement from the Communications Ministry said it expects the TMZ initiative to serve as a catalyst for the growth of telecoms equipment manufacturers, technology companies, MSMEs, start-ups, and other stakeholders across the telecoms value chain.

“The initiative seeks to create a world-class manufacturing ecosystem for telecom equipment and allied technologies by attracting investments, fostering innovation, encouraging indigenous design and manufacturing, and accelerating the development of next-generation telecom products and solutions,” the ministry statement said.

“It will also generate substantial employment opportunities, enhance regional industrial development, strengthen supply chain resilience, and position India as a global hub for telecom manufacturing and innovation,” the statement added.

During the MoU ceremony, Minister of Communications Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia said that the TMZ project serves Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” (Self-Reliance India) policy that aims to strengthen the country’s self-sufficiency in technological development and transform it into a technology exporter.

He also said the TMZ would generate INR35 billion of investment and 14,000 job opportunities. “That is the impact of Atmanirbhar Bharat.”

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Ghana’s National Communications Authority (NCA) has taken another step towards the rollout of 5G services by holding a pre-application briefing for prospective bidders interested in acquiring spectrum licences in the 700 MHz, 2.3 GHz and 3 GHz mid-band frequencies.

The meeting, held at the NCA Tower, formed part of the regulator’s Request for Applications (RFA) process and gave prospective applicants an opportunity to seek clarification on the licensing framework before submitting bids.

According to the NCA, discussions covered the selection and award process, eligibility criteria, available spectrum, rollout obligations and significant market power (SMP) considerations.

Speaking at the event, NCA Director General Rev. Ing. Edmund Yirenkyi Fianko said the regulator was making the spectrum available as early as possible to accelerate the deployment of 5G services across Ghana.

He added that the authority was committed to improving connectivity and digital services for consumers, noting growing demand for faster internet speeds and more reliable communications.

Fianko also stressed that successful applicants would be required to meet rollout obligations and deployment timelines set out in the licence conditions to ensure the timely nationwide introduction of 5G services.

The briefing was attended by representatives from mobile network operators (MNOs), internet service providers (ISPs), mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) and broadband wireless access (BWA) providers.

The NCA said the briefing forms part of its efforts to ensure a transparent, fair and competitive licensing process while supporting broadband expansion and Ghana’s wider digital transformation agenda.

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Angola’s largest telecoms operator, Unitel, has suffered a cyberattack that disrupted voice, mobile data and internet services nationwide just one day before the company is due to begin trading on the country’s stock exchange.

In a statement, the operator said it detected the attack at 02:20 local time on Tuesday, adding that the incident affected its technology infrastructure and caused widespread service disruptions across the country.

Unitel, which serves more than 21 million customers in Angola, said restoration efforts were ongoing but did not indicate when services would be fully restored.

The company also declined to provide details about the nature of the cyberattack or who may have been responsible.

The disruption comes ahead of Unitel’s planned stock market debut on the Angola Debt and Securities Exchange (BODIVA) on Wednesday, following the successful sale of a 15% stake in the operator through an initial public offering (IPO).

The IPO was oversubscribed by more than 20%, reflecting strong investor demand as Angola continues efforts to attract private investment and reduce state ownership of key businesses.

According to Reuters, the timing of the cyberattack is particularly significant given the operator’s imminent market listing, although there is currently no indication that the incident will affect the planned debut.

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In case anyone was wondering what Amazon Leo’s plans were after the deal with Globalstar earlier this year, a recent filing with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may offer some clues.

The application with the FCC is to launch and operate the Amazon Leo Direct-to-Device (D2D) System, a constellation of up to 5,105 low Earth orbit satellites designed to deliver D2D connectivity to customers globally, with deployment beginning in 2028.

The filing follows the merger agreement with Globalstar in April, which will see Amazon acquire Globalstar’s existing satellite operations, infrastructure and assets and enable Amazon to add D2D services to its growing low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network.

The D2D system will operate alongside Leo’s first and second-generation satellite broadband systems – as well as Globalstar’s HIBLEO and C-3 satellite constellations – extending Leo satellite connectivity directly to compatible mobile devices.

The core Amazon Leo system will provide high-speed, low-latency broadband to a wide range of consumer, enterprise and government customers, with customers connecting to the network using one of several compact, high-performance antennas: Leo Nano, Leo Pro and Leo Ultra.

The Leo D2D System will complement that core broadband service, delivering high-speed connectivity directly to compatible mobile devices. The D2D service will also enable capabilities like uninterrupted communications for disaster response, global fleet management, remote operations across worksites and supply chains, IoT connectivity for remote sensors, and emergency messaging when ground-based networks are unavailable.

Amazon Leo says it has already announced an agreement with Apple to power satellite services for supported iPhone and Apple Watch models.

Amazon Leo will distribute its D2D satellites across five orbital shells, each optimised to reach different parts of the planet. The satellites will communicate with mobile devices using dedicated radio frequencies (L-band and S-band spectrum links). Connections between the satellites and Amazon’s ground stations will use separate high-capacity radio links (Ka-band and V-band spectrum) that carry aggregated traffic between the satellite network and the internet, much like a backhaul connection for a cell tower.

Amazon Leo says that unlike conventional satellites that simply relay signals to the ground, its D2D satellites will process the signals in orbit before relaying them to improve performance. Also, Leo’s D2D satellites will be equipped with optical inter-satellite links – laser connections between the satellites in orbit – to support intelligent traffic routing across the constellation.

The satellites will use digital beamforming and beam-hopping to direct concentrated signals precisely where and when they are needed. This maximises coverage while minimising wasted power and interference. Combined with advanced signal-processing techniques, this approach, the company says, will deliver higher spectrum efficiency than legacy systems.

Amazon Leo has already announced partnerships with a number of telecom operators including South Africa’s Herotel. The Leo D2D System will complement existing mobile networks, filling coverage gaps where terrestrial deployment is impractical, cost-prohibitive, or vulnerable to disruption.

Amazon Leo says it is currently deploying its first-generation broadband satellite system and already has more than 390 satellites in orbit.