Telecom
ITU’s 150th Anniversary Celebrations Get Full Swing
This year ITU celebrates 150 years of excellence in connecting the world to the benefits of telecommunications and information and communication technologies.
ITU has developed a series of activities to promote this landmark 150th anniversary.
The ITU150 poster competition is open for applications, with the deadline set for 1 May 2015. The competition is in three categories: 5-7 years; 8-11 years; and 12-16 years.
We are delighted to launch ITU’s historical timeline, which recounts a well-researched history of telecommunications starting in 1772 with the Semaphore system – the first ‘telegraph’, progressing through key moments in world history intertwined with ITU’s own historic development and contributions to global communications.
Six ‘nuggets of information’ are attached to each key milestone, providing insights into this fascinating history.
The new ITU 150th Anniversary smartphone App includes an interactive quiz on the history, development and structure of ITU as well as access to ITU’s historic timeline, monthly feature stories, ITU150 news, international events and connection to the worldwide #ITU150 community. The ‘ITU 150th Anniversary App’ is available on iTunes, Windows and Google Play stores.
On 17 May, a special ceremony will take place in Geneva to commemorate the founding of ITU with the signing of the International Telegraph Convention in 1865.
The event will include the ITU 150 Awards ceremony, high-level speeches and talks, technical and innovation demonstrations, and a special video showcasing the innovative use of ICTs around the world. Register to attend this special celebratory event here.
Each month, ITU tells a personal story to highlight the monthly theme showcasing the positive impact of ICTs and how they are transforming lives around the world. For February’s theme ‘Youth and Innovation’, Fatoumata Kebe, winner of the ITU Telecom World 2014 Young Innovator Competition, told us how she is using the power of the Internet of Things (IoT) to deploy smart irrigation solutions to address the looming food crisis and empower women in Mali. For the theme in March, ‘Innovation and Intelligent Transport Systems’, James Fu introduced us to the driverless car that he and researchers at the Singapore-MIT Alliance have developed. In April, Alja Isakovic explained how she is helping to engage women in ICTs through coding for the theme ‘Girls and Women and Innovation’.
A series of Google Hangouts provides a forum to express opinions related to the monthly themes. ITU Telecom asked a panel of entrepreneurs about best practices for growing a start-up for February’s theme ‘Youth and Innovation’.
April’s panel for ‘Girls and Women and Innovation’ will discuss methods to promote and enable female innovation in technology. You can follow the hangout live at 16.00 CET on Friday 17 April 2015.
Mazen Mroue, a non-executive director at MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, has resigned effective February 27, 2026, to prioritise other responsibilities within the MTN Group, the company announced in a Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) filing.
MTN Nigeria
The notice, signed by company secretary Uto Ukpanah, stated: “This is to enable Mr. Mroue to focus on other priorities within MTN Group Limited. The Board wishes to express its appreciation to Mr. Mroue for his immense service to MTN Nigeria and wishes him success in his future endeavours.”
Mroue joined MTN Nigeria’s board on June 1, 2022, bringing over 28 years of telecom experience. A veteran MTN executive, he previously served as CEO of MTN Uganda and MTN Liberia, non-executive director at MTN Cyprus, and held leadership roles at MTN Ghana.
Since February 2022, he has been MTN Group’s Chief Technology and Information Officer, overseeing technology strategy and governance. Earlier, as MTN Nigeria’s COO from August 2018 to January 2022, he also sat on the MTN Nigeria Foundation board.
The exit follows MTN Nigeria’s stellar 2025 results, posting a ₦1.70 trillion profit before tax—reversing a ₦550.3 billion loss in 2024 driven by forex woes—marking one of the telco’s strongest rebounds.
Google has rolled out support for Yorùbá and Hausa languages in its AI-powered Search features—AI Overviews and AI Mode—enabling millions of Nigerians to get quick answers, summaries, and conversational web exploration in their mother tongues.
The update forms part of Google’s push to cover 13 African languages, including Afrikaans, Akan, Amharic, Kinyarwanda, Afaan Oromoo, Somali, Sesotho, Kiswahili, Setswana, Wolof, and isiZulu, selected based on high search activity across the continent.
Now, a Kano student can ask complex questions in Hausa, while an Ibadan trader seeks business tips in Yorùbá—both receiving culturally nuanced AI responses via text or voice on Android, iOS, or web.
Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s West Africa Communications Manager, said: “Building truly global Search requires nuanced local understanding. With Gemini-powered AI, we’ve made advanced capabilities relevant in Yorùbá and Hausa, so Nigerians converse naturally with Search in their mother tongues.”
To use: Open the Google app, tap AI Mode, and query in Hausa or Yorùbá for personalised guidance—breaking language barriers and making technology reflect Nigeria’s diverse identity.
MultiChoice is closing its continental streaming platform Showmax after 11 years, notifying subscribers Thursday of the board’s decision to discontinue the service in the near future to refocus on sustainable digital offerings.
MultiChoice
The email assured no immediate disruption: “You can continue streaming as usual, and no action is required from you at this time.” Showmax, launched in South Africa in 2015 and expanded across Africa, offered movies, series, documentaries, and sports to rival Netflix and others amid rising online entertainment demand.
The shutdown follows Canal+’s approved takeover of MultiChoice last year, with the French giant offering ZAR 125 per share for remaining stakes.
The deal mandates HDP ownership boosts, local content investment, and splitting MultiChoice’s SA broadcasting arm into an independent entity to meet regulations.
MultiChoice prioritised subscribers during the transition, promising advance notice on timelines.
Showmax’s exit signals consolidation pressures in Africa’s cut-throat streaming market, where global players dominate despite local content strengths.
MultiChoice to Discontinue Showmax Streaming Platform
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