Ukrainian operator Kyivstar revealed it built 828 new base stations in the first quarter of 2025, continuing its modernisation project despite the ongoing Russian invasion.

In a statement, the Veon-owned operator said the new base stations extended its 4G coverage to an additional 139 settlements. Currently, Kyivstar’s 4G network reaches 95.9% of the population in territories controlled by Ukraine.

Since the beginning of the war, Kyivstar has upgraded 22,000 base stations and built 9,000 new ones. Veon has invested UAH 26.4 billion (US$635 million) in these projects since 2022 and has pledged to continue spending to meet licence obligations for spectrum acquired in the 2,100MHz and 2,300MHz bands at auction in November 2024.

Vital motorways have also seen their connectivity infrastructure upgraded. As of May, Kyivstar reported that around 13,000km of roads of “international and national importance” are now covered with 4G.

Kyivstar claims it has the largest portfolio of 4G base stations in territories controlled by Ukraine, citing government data.

The operator currently serves 22.7 million mobile subscribers and 1.1 million home broadband customers.

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The long-running story of service quality issues in Cameroon rumbles on with news that the country’s Telecommunications Regulatory Board (ART) has initiated a new restricted tender for an audit of Cameroon’s national fibre optic network.

This move, which apparently took place on 12 May but is only now being widely reported, comes amid persistent criticism over the quality of telecom services across the nation. 

State-run Camtel, which owns and manages the country’s terrestrial optical fibre network, estimated at 12,000 kilometres or more, appears to be the main focus of what will be a six-month-long XAF350 million (about US$602,106) operation, which aims to assess the performance and integrity of the fibre optic network.

This isn’t the first time Camtel, which manages the network, handling its maintenance and reselling access to other operators, has been under fire. While operators Orange Cameroon and MTN Cameroon manage their own mobile infrastructure, they rely largely on Camtel’s backbone for data transmission and interconnectivity. However, various news outlets say that operators Orange and MTN frequently accuse Camtel of causing outages and disruptions affecting their subscribers.

Its less than a year since the regulator published, in September 2024, an audit on the Camtel network’s management, following repeated complaints over mobile service quality. It described an infrastructure “in a state of ongoing degradation, with current maintenance conditions needing reassessment”. Electricity supply, fuel procurement and frequent breaks in fibre optic cables were highlighted.

The latest audit will, it is hoped, assess the current operational status of Camtel’s fibre infrastructure, identify technical bottlenecks, and propose steps to improve network performance and reliability.

The continuing news about these issues is a little surprising given our report in January this year that Camtel had revealed a budget of XAF326.2 billion (US$514.7 million) for 2025 to upgrade its network infrastructure and improve service quality, along with a strategic roadmap to steward its evolution to 2027.

Connectivity in Africa has been a hot topic for decades, often framed as a bastion of opportunity due to the continent’s immense population still awaiting digital access.

But where opportunity exists, so do challenges – and Africa faces unique obstacles in its efforts to connect its population and deliver life-changing benefits.

According to industry body the GSMA, Sub-Saharan Africa still has a substantial usage gap. At the end of 2023, mobile internet penetration stood at 27%, but a staggering 60% of the population remained unconnected.

The GSMA reported that the mobile industry contributed US$140 billion to GDP in the region and suggested this could increase by US$30 billion if key barriers to connectivity are lowered. Beyond economic gains, improved connectivity can also support development goals across healthcare, education and finance, thus driving broader socio-economic growth.

A significant number of the unconnected population live within network coverage areas but remain offline due to adoption barriers such as affordability and lack of digital skills. Additionally, 13% of the Sub-Saharan population is not covered by 4G – the minimum standard required to effectively participate in the digital economy.

These regions are often overlooked by pan-African mobile network operators. The return on investment in sparsely populated rural areas is simply not there, especially compared to the densely populated urban centres of Accra, Kinshasa and Lagos.

GlobalData senior analyst Ismail Patel (pictured, below) said Sub-Saharan Africa is “at the bottom of the table for fixed connectivity” and noted there has been “no serious prospect” of laying fibre or even copper cables in African soil, particularly in low-ARPU rural locations that have remained “untapped for the past two decades”.

This is where satellite connectivity is stepping in. Elon Musk’s SpaceX has launched its low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation, Starlink, which has become a major disruptor – not just in satellite but in the connectivity industry as a whole – by connecting consumers directly without traditional telco partnerships, unlike many of its satellite peers.

Also on the horizon is Amazon’s Kuiper constellation, which appears to be embracing the partnership model. Other satellite players like Intelsat, Eutelsat, and SES are also active, with operations across both LEO and Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO).

Patel noted that satellite connectivity isn’t new – satellites in Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO) or Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) have long existed – but have historically been “price prohibitive”. LEO providers such as SpaceX and Amazon are now breaking down that cost barrier to make satellite communications accessible to mass markets.

“What the LEO market has done is potentially unlocked this opportunity, not only for Africa, but also for the rest of the world, as either a replacement for fixed and mobile traditional connectivity, or as a technology to install where there is no fixed or mobile connectivity with any scale of robust data connectivity or broadband,” said Patel.

In Africa, some areas will see LEO satellites become the primary source of connectivity, while in others, traditional fibre and cellular networks will continue to carry the load.

Despite the buzz around Starlink and the anticipation surrounding Kuiper, Patel said it would be misguided to assume they will simply displace traditional operators. Instead, he believes collaboration is key to achieving widespread connectivity in Africa.

Rhys Morgan (pictured, below), Intelsat’s EMEA Regional VP for Sales, said partnering with mobile network operators (MNOs) is “fundamental” to extending connectivity and delivering tangible benefits to Africa’s growing, youthful population.

“If you’re deploying infrastructure locally, you’ll need to operate under somebody’s licence – work with them. So obviously, the mobile operators have got fairly broad often, but certainly very meaningful licences to operate on the ground. So that partnership is important, but equally, we develop the services in conjunction with our partners, so that those services are relevant and compelling in the market,” said Morgan.

He added that operator trust and reputation are also crucial, especially as concerns over data sovereignty rise among African nations.

Barriers to connectivity adoption

One of the key barriers to getting online in Sub-Saharan Africa is cost – whether it’s the price of terminals, handsets, or the data itself.

But Morgan believes that if the right solutions and use cases are provided – delivering clear productivity gains – users will pay, provided the pricing is reasonable.

He pointed to mobile money as a hugely successful example, empowering small businesses and fuelling local economies. However, he again stressed the importance of partnerships to ensure infrastructure is widespread enough to make such use cases viable. As an example, he cited a successful deployment with Orange in Mali, where Intelsat worked with the operator to provide the appropriate bandwidth and dimensions to strike the right balance between quality and cost.

Patel acknowledged affordability as a key issue, but noted privacy is also a concern. Foreign providers may be viewed warily by governments keen to protect their citizens’ data.

“A foreign operator like Starlink obviously poses problems for national governments, so it’s going to be a trade-off between that and an operator like Starlink offering the services. Starlink obviously is headed by Elon Musk, who has demonstrated in recent months that he might not be the most palatable partner for any sort of business transactions. So this is why some would be reticent to giving Starlink carte blanche to operate in that particular market without assurances of privacy – or either that, or governments might be incentivising operators to go into partnership with Starlink so they retain some degree of control of data being trafficked in and out of the country,” explained Patel.

Disruptive Starlink and Kuiper

Despite being in direct competition with Starlink and Kuiper, Morgan welcomed the innovation they bring – both in terms of satellite technology and user-friendly tools – helping move satellite out of its niche and into the mainstream.

Patel noted that these two players also represent a threat to traditional operators, echoing comments made by Nitesh Singh of Accenture during last year’s Africa Tech Festival.

According to Patel, Starlink’s entry into the DRC directly triggered the recent partnership between Vodacom and Orange.

“So that partnership is as a direct result of Starlink entering the competitive scene. These rural and semi-rural areas that haven’t been previously well [served], are now being looked [at] as a new organic growth opportunity so that an LEO company like Starlink doesn’t eat into that opportunity,” said Patel.

He added that while these regions may not deliver “huge gains,” they represent the only logical path for future organic growth – a path that could be lost to the likes of Starlink and Kuiper if operators don’t move quickly.

Still, Patel criticised major players like Vodacom and Orange for not acting sooner.

“It might already be too late for them (operators)… in certain segments it’s going to get to market far too quickly compared to MNOs deploying that requisite infrastructure,” said Patel.

“That’s just one market of many, where Starlink is licenced or is about to be licenced – the operators dropped the ball there. They viewed these markets as a low ARPU market, so they focused supply on urban areas or areas where there’s high ARPU, so I think this might be a little too late.”

Governments in Sub-Saharan Africa now face a dilemma: whether to license LEO providers to deliver widespread connectivity – potentially undermining the financial viability of traditional MNOs, which are often among the largest contributors to national economies.

Patel said it’s still unclear how governments will strike the right balance, though some regulators have taken note of MNOs failing to meet coverage obligations outlined in their licences.

“They are using Starlink to either incentivise MNOs to deploy in those regions, or to simply boost connectivity and economic growth – or stimulate economic growth, rather – in these regions that have been underserved.”

Looking ahead, Patel expects more mature markets such as Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa to benefit first from satellite deployments – particularly for small businesses that require robust connections. He predicts that private home connectivity will mature further within five years.

From the perspective of satellite providers, Morgan said governments need to provide a clear and fair regulatory environment to ensure widespread access.

“Where regulators have a good, comprehensive framework, as most regulators do today across the continent, and they enforce it uniformly – we wouldn’t view it as a hurdle. In fact, we would say that that’s a well-managed telecoms market, and somewhere that we would be comfortable to operate,” said Morgan.

He added that LEO will not dominate the market alone; a mix of LEO, GEO, and MEO satellite systems will be necessary to meet Africa’s growing demand for data.

Africa remains a bastion of opportunity, and with its young, tech-savvy population, the future looks bright. To support this next generation, satellite technology may well be the tool that helps the continent realise its full potential and rise to new heights.

Xiaomi reportedly revealed plans to invest CNY50 billion (US$6.9 billion) over the next 10 years to develop its own mobile processors, and is set to unveil such chips this week.

Bloomberg reported, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer’s co-founder Lei Jun said “chips are at a peak we need to climb and a hard battle we cannot escape if we want to become a hard tech company”.

Lei confirmed the company will unveil its first internally developed processor the Xring O1 on May 22^nd, following speculation on the chipset.

The Xring O1 had been development since 2021 on the back of an investment of CNY13.5 billion along with CNY6 billion spent on R&D in 2025 alone, noted the co-founder. Xiaomi currently has 2,500 people in its semiconductor ream.

The chipset will see its debut in the Xiaomi 15S Pro smartphone and the Xiaomi Pad 7 Ultra, reported Reuters.  

According to analyst firm Canalys, the Southeast Asian smartphone market declined in Q1 2025, marking the end of five consecutive quarters of growth due to economic headwinds.

Canalys reported that the market contracted by 3% year-on-year, with total shipments falling to 22.8 million units in the first quarter of 2025.

Samsung led the market with 4.3 million units shipped, capturing a 19% market share. Xiaomi followed in second place with 4 million units and a 17% share – notably, it was the only vendor in the top four to post growth, recording a 4% year-on-year increase.

Transsion ranked third with 3.3 million units shipped, accounting for 15% of the market. Chinese brands OPPO and vivo followed with 3.2 million units (14%) and 2.7 million units (12%) respectively.

Canalys research manager Le Xuan Chiew noted that vendors built up inventory as a hedge against anticipated macroeconomic risks, while consumer demand was impacted by inflation. This combination led to a 5% year-on-year rise in average selling prices, which Canalys warned is “expected to further dampen consumer demand.”

Le also identified Vietnam as a potential bright spot amid the broader economic challenges.

“Its stable governance, improving infrastructure, and proximity to component suppliers make it an attractive destination for long-term investment in smartphone production. Beyond economic advantages, Vietnam’s push for 5G presents a valuable opportunity for brands to expand their 5G portfolios and tap into the growing middle class,” said Le.

Digital infrastructure company Equinix has inaugurated its first International Business Exchange data centre in Jakarta under a joint venture with Indonesian conglomerate Astra International.

The data centre, called JK1, provides access to more than 50 global and local network service providers and internet exchanges.

Equinix says that by leveraging its cloud-dense and highly secure platform, businesses in Indonesia can deploy data networks and services rapidly and at scale with a global footprint and an extensive digital ecosystem.

Haris Izmee, Managing Director of Equinix Indonesia, points out that “e-commerce remains Indonesia’s largest sector in the digital economy, with the industry potentially reaching US$120 billion in 2025. This growth is further accelerated by a remarkable surge in cloud adoption.” He adds: “As the nation gears for Indonesia Emas 2045 vision, establishing itself as a key digital hub in Asia will be crucial for long-term economic transformation.”

Indonesia Emas 2045 is a vision for Indonesia to become a prosperous, advanced, fair and sovereign nation by 2045, its centennial year of independence.

Equinix JK1 is located in Jakarta’s Central Business District, close to major internet exchanges in the region. It is an eight-storey facility that offers 550 cabinets in the first phase, with a total capacity of 1,600 cabinets and colocation space of 5,300 square metres when fully built. The facility will provide interconnection services, including Equinix Fabric and Equinix Internet Access.

JK1 leverages innovative technologies such as cooling array and liquid cooling technology, ensuring efficient heat management for high-density and high-performance computer workloads such as artificial intelligence.

JK1 is designed to achieve an average power usage effectiveness (PUE) of 1.41 at full load and is 100% covered by renewables through the purchase of renewable energy credits (RECs). 

This news follows our announcement last week of further growth for the company in the Asia-Pacific region as Equinix completed the second phase of its KL1 International Business Exchange (IBX) data centre in Cyberjaya in Malaysia.

It’s been another busy week for satcoms, with Agility Beyond Space (ABS), a global satellite operator, and SpaceBridge, a provider of satellite network equipment solutions, targeting managed services in EMEA, while satellite communications service Starlink is reportedly pursuing a Wi-Fi deal with the Emirates airline.

Early this week ABS and SpaceBridge announced an intent to enter into a strategic collaboration to enhance managed data services across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). This partnership aims to leverage both companies’ expertise to expand the availability of satellite-enabled services, including broadband and internet trunking, serving enterprises, government agencies, mobile network operators and other essential sectors.

With experience in VSAT platforms, network optimisation and satellite system integration, SpaceBridge says it brings deep technical expertise to the partnership. The companies say they are jointly reviewing innovative service models that could improve flexibility, performance and coverage across a range of markets.

Meanwhile the Bloomberg news service says that Emirates is in discussions with space technology company SpaceX to overhaul the carrier’s internet service as the airline looks to enhance its in-flight Wi-Fi by fitting its widebody jets with SpaceX’s Starlink internet service.

Emirates apparently has a widebody fleet of about 250 jets and more than 300 on order, so this could be quite a significant contract if agreed, which, of course, is not yet confirmed. Whether the potential deal would be available to all passengers is not clear, but it would bring Starlink to one of the world’s biggest fleets with a highly regarded service.

There could, however, be issues involving regions where Starlink doesn’t yet work and a need for authorisation for use in the UAE itself. Starlink would also need certification for the Airbus A380 double decker and the Airbus A350, although the latter permission is apparently imminent.

Multi-service operator Orange Middle East and Africa (OMEA) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a private sector-led development aid institution and member of the World Bank Group, have signed a partnership to sustainably strengthen digital access in eight African countries.

OMEA and IFC say they are joining forces to develop more inclusive and sustainable digital connectivity in often underserved areas of West and Central Africa, though the announcement does not seem to specify which eight countries will be targeted.

This partnership, agreed at the Africa CEO Forum held in Abidjan on 12 and 13 May, aims to mobilise the complementary expertise of both signatories. IFC says it will bring its expertise in development finance, while OMEA will capitalise on its local roots and strong network in the region.

The promise is that various (again so far unspecified) telecommunications infrastructure construction and deployment projects, involving towers, fibre and more, will be carried out in the target countries in the coming years.

IFC points out that this collaboration builds on initiatives it has already backed, such as supporting the first-ever securitisation in the telecommunications sector in West Africa and providing sustainable funding to Senegalese operator Sonatel. These two operations, for a total amount of approximately US$75 million in 2024, allow Sonatel to strengthen the country’s digital infrastructure and expand 4G coverage and fibre optic connectivity in rural areas of Senegal.

Together, the two partners say they aim to provide a replicable investment model aimed at bridging the digital divide, fostering financial inclusion, strengthening territorial resilience and creating jobs, particularly in the digital economy.

The GSMA has urged governments worldwide to reduce spectrum prices, warning that high fees are choking the telecoms industry and threatening long-term economic development.

In a new report, the industry body revealed that spectrum prices have not fallen in line with operator revenues over the past decade, limiting the ability of mobile network operators to invest in critical infrastructure.

While consumer prices have declined, the overall financial burden on operators has sharply increased. According to the GSMA, cumulative global spectrum costs now account for 7% of operator revenues – a 63% rise over the last ten years.

At the same time, average revenue per megahertz has dropped by up to 75% in some bands since 2014. To meet rising demand for bandwidth, operators have expanded their spectrum holdings by 80% over the same period, further driving up total costs.

Consumers, meanwhile, have benefited from a significant drop in data prices. The GSMA noted that the cost of a gigabyte (GB) of data has plummeted by 96% between 2014 and 2024.

GSMA Director General Vivek Badrinath said: “The mobile industry sits at the heart of the digital economy, enabling services and opportunities that transform lives. But a dollar can only be spent once, and high spectrum costs can choke investment at a time when the need for affordable, reliable connectivity has never been greater.

“Governments and regulators must prioritise spectrum pricing that reflects market realities and fosters long-term digital growth. By ensuring spectrum is affordable, they can unlock faster network expansion, better service quality, and greater digital inclusion for all of their citizens.”