Some quantum, some PON, some M&A, and some light: … [visit site to read more]

The Emerging Africa & Asia Infrastructure Fund (EAAIF) is loaning a combined US$82.8 million to two Africa-focused telecom infrastructure firms.

The fund will loan US$32.8 million to Eastcastle Infrastructure DRC to finance 728 new telecom towers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and US$50 million to Liquid Intelligent Technologies to refinance and future-proof its 110,000-kilometre pan-African fibre-optic network.

These parallel investments highlight EAAIF’s strategic focus on de-risking and scaling the physical and digital networks that underpin the continent’s rapidly growing digital economy.

In the DRC, where mobile internet penetration is 17%, and tower density is among the lowest globally (one tower per 15,000–20,000 people compared to one per 600 in the US), EAAIF’s support for Eastcastle is critical to addressing infrastructure availability, which is the primary bottleneck for mobile network operators.

Around 70% of the new towers will be located in rural and underpenetrated regions, which will help to boost connectivity in the DRC. The transaction will also finance solar panel installations and lithium battery upgrades to drive energy efficiency, circumvent grid failures, and reduce Eastcastle’s reliance on diesel.

EAAIF’s US$50 million commitment to Liquid Intelligent Technologies forms part of a US$450 million restructuring and expansion package which will support the optimisation of Liquid’s capital structure and the maintenance of its 110,000 km cross-border fibre network across 25 countries, including Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe. 

Liquid’s network enables digital data storage and processing for major operators, enterprises, and hyperscalers across Africa. EAAIF’s investment in Liquid’s high-speed broadband and cloud infrastructure underlines its commitment to sovereign digital assets that drive economic growth. Reliable internet access also enables local enterprises to scale more effectively, fostering long-term, productive employment.

Martijn Proos, Co-Head of Emerging Market Alternative Credit at Ninety One, the fund manager of EAAIF, said: “These commitments to Eastcastle and Liquid demonstrate our belief in Africa’s digital expansion through localised access points and pan-African corridors, which must work simultaneously to power the continent’s future.”

Three major players in the Asian market have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to execute collaborative AI data centre (AIDC) deployment initiatives across Southeast Asia.

The partnership, between technology infrastructure company SB Telecom Singapore, a subsidiary of Japan’s SoftBank, SC Zeus Data Centres, which is building advanced data centres across Asia, and Robust HPC Group, an IT managed service provider, focuses on two primary pillars: GPU infrastructure supply, build and operation, alongside dedicated AIDC construction and development within the region.

The partners say this collaboration combines the unique strengths of all three organisations to address the surging regional demand for high-density artificial intelligence computing workloads.

Under the agreement, SC Zeus will serve as the preferred partner to source land, design, build and operate the core data centre infrastructure. Robust HPC Group will spearhead the procurement, setup and management of high-performance GPU clusters, utilising advanced hardware.

SB Telecom Singapore meanwhile, will drive the data hall fit-out, ICT infrastructure integration, localised deployment support, and critical connectivity solutions. Together, the parties say they will develop innovative ‘AI factory’ solutions and explore diverse commercial models, including GPU-as-a-service platforms and AI token factory, a production system that transforms raw GPU compute and electricity into monetisable, governed units of intelligence known as tokens.

The initial deployment initiatives will focus heavily on Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam with subsequent plans to expand to the wider Southeast Asia region and neighbouring markets.

Hisao Inoue, Managing Director of SB Telecom Singapore says: “By unifying our robust ICT connectivity with SC Zeus’s specialised infrastructure capabilities and Robust HPC’s advanced supercomputing expertise, we are uniquely positioned to deliver the massively scalable, real-time computing environments essential for the future of AI.”

The envisioned facilities will feature advanced capabilities like liquid cooling infrastructure, 800 VDC architecture and low-latency networking, ensuring the region is fully equipped for next-generation AI workloads.

HONG KONG & BERN, August 4th, 2026 – VOX Solutions, a leading provider of comprehensive A2P voice and messaging monetisation solutions, is proud to announce a strategic partnership with Comfone, a prominent global telecommunications services provider. This strategic channel partnership will help Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) worldwide control, protect, and monetise their international Application-to-Person (A2P) SMS traffic. 

This collaboration brings together VOX Solutions’ managed VOX360 Monetisation Solution with Comfone’s extensive industry expertise and global ecosystem. Together, both companies are committed to safeguarding mobile communication against the growing threats of unsolicited traffic, grey routes, and revenue leakage. 

The VOX360 platform, a market-leading solution, integrates advanced anti-fraud capabilities including flash call authentication and A2P SMS monetisation tools. Deployed within the operator’s own network environment and operated as a fully managed service, the platform provides advanced monitoring, filtering, analytics, and fraud-prevention capabilities. By centralising international A2P traffic through authorised gateways, VOX360 ensures full visibility of all traffic flows, eliminates bypass routes, and enables proper commercial monetisation of messaging traffic. The service includes 24/7 monitoring, traffic analytics, market intelligence, and dedicated technical support. 

Pedro Sebastião, Director of Partnerships at Comfone, commented: 

“Partnering with VOX Solutions is a natural extension of the Comfone Partnership Program. A2P SMS monetisation is a critical priority for mobile operators worldwide, and VOX Solutions’ track record in delivering measurable results through their AI-powered platform makes them an ideal partner. This collaboration enables us to offer our customers a best-in-class, trusted solution that protects revenues and strengthens network integrity.” 

VOX360 stands as an industry awarded platform capable of mitigating flash calls as part of a comprehensive anti-fraud solution for A2P voice and SMS traffic. This ensures that operators partnering through the Comfone channel remain protected from flash call fraud while maximising service quality and legitimate messaging revenues. 

Teodor Magureanu, Chief Business Development Officer at VOX Solutions, added: 

“Our mission is to support mobile operators in driving sustainable revenue growth and fostering innovation. We are happy to enter this partnership as we know Comfone is a company with a similar mindset – be a valuable partner to mobile operators. Hence, this global partnership is about trust and value for the ecosystem. By combining our VOX360 platform with Comfone’s extensive network, we can accelerate our efforts to help MNOs worldwide secure and monetise their A2P messaging traffic, contributing to their business success while enhancing communication security globally.” 

VOX Solutions continues to lead the market with its end-to-end A2P voice and messaging monetisation offerings. With a proven track record of success, the VOX360 platform has been deployed by numerous top-tier mobile operators worldwide. Looking forward, this partnership with Comfone marks another milestone in VOX Solutions’ commitment to empowering telecom operators with cutting-edge technology, strategic insights, and unparalleled support to navigate the evolving industry landscape. 

About VOX Solutions 

VOX Solutions is a leading TelcoTech company dedicated to empowering Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), carriers, aggregators, and enterprises worldwide by providing innovative solutions to effectively monetise their assets. We provide cutting-edge solutions that enable our partners to unlock new revenue streams by maximising the value of their existing assets. Leveraging advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Advertising Technology (AdTech), advanced analytics, and seamless authentication, we help transform telecommunications businesses into high-performing, revenue-generating ecosystems. 

http://www.voxsolutions.co 

About Comfone 

Headquartered in Bern, Switzerland, Comfone is fully independent, privately owned, and financially stable with no affiliation to any operator groups. With over 28 years of industry expertise and a strong tradition of Swiss quality, Comfone has proven track record of delivering robust and scalable roaming and interworking services. We serve more than 700 customers across over 200 countries and territories, including MNOs, MVNOs, SMS A2P Providers, IoT/ M2M Solution Providers, and a range of new operators entering telecommunications market. 

Comfone Solutions Value Propositions  

• Global customer reach, presence and georedundant infrastructure in all continents  

• 24/7 multilingual, personal and dynamic support from experienced roaming professionals. Workforce representing 50 nationalities and 45 languages  

• A GSMA Associate Member since 1999, Comfone actively participates in GSMA Working Groups and follows all GSMA standards   

• For over a decade, Comfone has been recognized as a leading global provider of roaming services in key areas such as Hub, IPX, Data Clearing, and Financial Clearing. ROCCO top rankings since 2013  

We focus on long-term partnerships, operational excellence, and a customer-oriented approach. This ensures that our solutions are not only compliant but aligned with the latest industry developments and best practices to help operators developing new solutions in existing and emerging technologies and protocols such as VoLTE, 5G NSA, 5G SA, BCE, and NB-IoT.  

www.comfone.com 

Some middle mile, some last mile, and some subsea: … [visit site to read more]

Partner Article

On August 4, China Tower and Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. officially unveiled a new tunnel waveguide product: TunnelStar at the China Tower Industrial Park. Tailored for high-value tunnel scenarios, the innovative solution features compact size, lower costs and superior user experience, injecting new momentum into network quality improvement and brand value enhancement for telecom operators.

Senior executives from China Tower and Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. attended the launch ceremony.

According to the officials present, China’s rail transit tunnel scale has maintained steady growth, with the national operational subway mileage exceeding 10,000 kilometers and the mileage of operational railway tunnels surpassing 25,000 kilometers. Tunnel scenarios have long been plagued by industry pain points, including limited installation space, complex on-site construction conditions and difficult renovation coordination. Meanwhile, as mobile communication networks accelerate the iteration toward 5G-A, communication frequency bands and spectrum bandwidth continue to expand. Driven by booming applications such as AI and live streaming, user demand for uplink services keeps rising, highlighting the weaknesses of uplink coverage and putting forward more stringent technical requirements for tunnel indoor distribution and signal coverage systems.

Against this backdrop, China Tower and Huawei have carried out in-depth technical cooperation. Combining the propagation characteristics of radio waves in tunnels, the two parties have jointly developed the TunnelStar, breaking through the technical bottlenecks restricting tunnel network coverage. Equipped with a specially designed excitation source to reshape electromagnetic field distribution, the product enables more uniform wireless signal coverage in tunnels and maximizes overall coverage performance.

Compared with traditional antenna solutions, the innovative TunnelStar boosts edge coverage level by more than 10dB and improves user experience speed by over 40%. It supports a 9dB gain amplification for uplink links, delivering a 20% increase in uplink speed to meet the demand for high-capacity uplink data services. In addition, the product supports low-cost evolution toward 6G, enabling smooth transition for new frequency band applications. As a full-band and full-bandwidth solution, it empowers China Tower to leverage its unified planning and construction advantages, helping telecom operators solve key industry challenges including high-capacity uplink and high-frequency network evolution in tunnels, difficult leaky cable construction and poor antenna coverage effects.

The TunnelStar solution has completed pilot tests for 3.5G and 4.9G frequency bands in Wuhan and Guangzhou respectively. The test results show significant improvements in coverage performance and deployment efficiency, which are highly consistent with the design targets.

TunnelStar blazes a new trail for upgrading tunnel network experience. It effectively breaks the coverage bottlenecks in extreme tunnel scenarios, greatly improving user experience and satisfaction, and setting a benchmark for ultimate mobile network coverage.

Looking ahead, the two sides will further integrate China Tower’s advantages in integrated overall planning, co-construction and project implementation with Huawei’s cutting-edge communication R&D capabilities. Both parties will continue to iterate and upgrade series of in-depth tunnel coverage technologies and solutions, comprehensively optimize the digital travel experience for the public, and empower a better digital life for all.

Lesotho has secured what is being described as the largest foreign investment in its history with the signing of the US$6.2 billion Kobong Project, whose aims include the development of hydropower resources and an artificial intelligence (AI) data centre.

Backed by New York-headquartered renewable energy firm Convalt Energy, which says it is creating an integrated value chain comprising solar PV manufacturing, power generation and development of data centres, the dual-infrastructure development is expected to shift the country from a net electricity importer to a regional power exporter.

Once operational, the project will have a generation capacity of 1.2GW, with an additional 4.6GW of solar capacity.

This is expected to increase Lesotho’s domestic power capacity, reducing reliance on imports, while supplying energy to an adjacent data centre designed for AI workloads.

Convalt Energy says it will fund the initial feasibility studies, with construction targeted to begin in 2029.

The development also aims to position Lesotho as a regional hub for AI-driven digital infrastructure, leveraging its climate, natural resources and governance framework. Indeed, Convalt says that Lesotho’s climate, abundant land and water, energy potential, and stable democratic government make it a premier data centre location.

The importance of the deal was underlined by an event at the US embassy to celebrate the signing, attended by a  number of government officials, heads of diplomatic missions and business leaders.

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

Telecom operators occupy a unique position in today’s economy. They are expected to modernize networks, protect critical national infrastructure, maintain resilient supplier ecosystems, and respond quickly to changing regulatory and security requirements – all while continuing to control costs. … [visit site to read more]

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.