News
MTN’s Record Fine, Others to Shape 2016

Gareth Mellon, ICT Programme Manager at Frost & Sullivan Africa provides a run-down of the top six technology trends to watch in Africa as we edge closer to 2016.
Accordi to Mellon, while MTN Nigeria’s massive fine has naturally attracted the most attention, regulators in Kenya and Uganda have also imposed recent penalties, and the fall-out from each of these points to the potential impact that both the government and regulators have on the telecommunications market.
1. Public Sector Actors Become more Involved
As governments increasingly see connectivity as a critical means to encourage economic growth, we can expect them to become more involved in the market, helping to stimulate telecommunications investment in some cases, but also threatening to add increased uncertainty in volatile markets.
While MTN Nigeria’s massive fine has naturally attracted the most attention, regulators in Kenya and Uganda have also imposed recent penalties, and the fall-out from each of these points to the potential impact that both the government and regulators have on the telecommunications market.
As debates concerning the allocation of spectrum, the implementation of national broadband plans and the provision of eServices continue unabated (not forgetting, of course, the constant delays in digital migration), expect the role of public sector bodies to become even more influential.
2. Fixed-Line Makes a Comeback
While technically not a ‘comeback’ in many African countries, where fixed-line hardly got out of the starting blocks, demands for fibre connectivity have soared.
Across the continent, submarine cables have boosted international connectivity and, while terrestrial coverage remains a challenge in most countries, investments in fibre backhaul and access layers have picked up.
As this proliferation continues, high capacity last-mile access is becoming more viable and FTTX services have become established in key markets such as Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.
While individual services remain relatively expensive for early-adopters, ongoing investment will lead to price reductions, making fixed-line more attractive for both businesses and consumers.
3. Industry Consolidation to Meet Infrastructure Costs
Etisalat’s recent acquisition of a majority stake in Maroc Telecom means that five major multinational operators now account for more than 60 percent of all telecommunications subscribers in Africa.
Consolidation in the telecommunications market is driven by a desire for scale to help overcome margin pressures.
The provision of network infrastructure is enormously costly and all operators have been subjected to the worrying reality of increasing infrastructure costs versus declining average revenue per user (ARPUs). With increased pressure on operators to provide LTE services – which requires further investment in existing infrastructure – Frost & Sullivan expects this drain to continue.
While large-scale mergers typically attract most of the attention, it is also worth noting changing market dynamics as smaller telecommunications players find it increasingly difficult to remain competitive.
South Africa’s Cell C has made headway in claiming some portion of the market from the two dominant players, but its sustainability remains questionable.
Meanwhile, mutterings in Kenya point to Orange’s troubles in achieving profitability in a market dominated by Safaricom.
And, across the continent, even start-ups promoting new technologies (LTE or fibre for example) struggle to break the dominance of the big players reflecting how difficult it remains for late-entry operators to establish any kind of foothold.
4.Content is King in the Battle for access to Customers
The other driver of telecommunications consolidation concerns the battle to retain access to customers. In the customer’s eyes, the question is now: “Who can provide me with the best access to everything I need?”
And, while operators currently occupy an enviable position in this respect, other telecommunications providers – including hardware providers, device manufacturers, and OTTs – are all seeking to offer aggregation services.
The key differentiator will be content –in particular high-demand content – whether it is local or global, live or recorded. DStv remains the undisputed leader in content distribution across Africa, but its dominance is being challenged by the growth of alternative channels such as fibre to the home (FTTH) and 3G or 4G.
Over the past year, the battle lines have been drawn in key markets such as Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, and the first casualties have already been incurred.
The year 2016 will quickly reveal which services are critical to customer requirements and, ultimately, how profitable they can be.
5. Telcos showcase digitalisation
Typically, telecommunications distinguish between their consumer and enterprise offerings, and the latest fad in the enterprise market is digitalisation; identifying all areas of a business that can be transformed by ICT in order to offer integrated and enhanced products and services.
The starting point will be to show how connectivity can improve profitability in sectors as diverse as oil exploration, agri-processing, and the clothing industry; but expect ICT providers to start positioning themselves as complete, end-to-end partners with the ability to transform their clients into digital pioneers.
Machine learning will be critical to this implementation, but watch out for other buzzing terms similar to wearables, the sharing economy and the blockchain.
6. The Mobile Payments ecosystem Expands
Africa has been the birthplace of mobile payments and one cannot ignore this key feature of the ICT landscape on the continent. In 2016, we can expect growth in three areas.
Firstly, while Kenya is often cited as the forerunner in mobile payment proliferation, this leadership is anticipated to be challenged by countries like Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Zambia, all of which have experienced significant growth in mobile payments.
Secondly, while peer-to-peer transactions currently account for three quarters of all payments, other areas such as merchant payments and international remittances should show healthy adoption, expanding the broader mobile payments ecosystem.
Finally, operators and banks have typically spearheaded mobile money development, but there are a growing number of actors seeking to grab a share of the market. The most prominent amongst these are the major Internet players; namely Google, Facebook, and Apple who, although not necessarily established in Africa, are leveraging their communication platforms to obtain access to customer’s wallets.
News
Trump Threatens More Strikes in Nigeria

President Donald Trump has warned that the United States could carry out further military strikes in Nigeria if Christians continue to be killed, reigniting a sensitive debate over religious violence and foreign intervention in Africa’s most populous nation.

President Donald Trump
Trump made the remarks in an interview with The New York Times, published on Thursday, while responding to questions about a US military strike carried out in Nigeria on Christmas Day.
At the time, the US military said the operation targeted Islamic State militants in north-west Nigeria and was conducted at the request of the Nigerian government.
Nigeria, however, described the operation as a joint counterterrorism effort, stressing that it was aimed at armed groups designated as terrorists and “had nothing to do with a particular religion”.
“I’d love to make it a one-time strike,” Trump was quoted as saying. “But if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike.”
Pressed on comments by his own Africa adviser that extremist groups such as Islamic State and Boko Haram have killed more Muslims than Christians in Nigeria, Trump acknowledged that Muslims were also victims but insisted that Christians were being targeted disproportionately.
“I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians,” he said.
Trump has repeatedly raised alarms about the safety of Christians in Nigeria, beginning in late October when he warned that Christianity faced what he described as an “existential threat” in the country. He has accused Nigerian authorities of failing to adequately protect Christian communities and has openly threatened US military intervention if the violence continues.
Nigeria has firmly rejected claims of systematic persecution of Christians. The government maintains that the country’s security challenges are complex and largely driven by insurgency, banditry and criminal violence rather than religious targeting.
With a population of more than 230 million people, Nigeria is almost evenly divided between Christians, who are concentrated mainly in the south, and Muslims, who predominate in the north. Islamist insurgencies, particularly Boko Haram and its offshoots, have plagued parts of northern Nigeria for more than a decade, killing thousands and displacing millions.
Nigerian authorities have repeatedly pointed out that militant attacks have claimed the lives of both Muslims and Christians, arguing that framing the violence along religious lines oversimplifies the crisis and risks inflaming tensions.
Following Trump’s earlier threats, the Nigerian government said it was willing to continue cooperating with Washington in combating terrorism but rejected language suggesting that Christians alone were under threat.
The latest comments are likely to strain diplomatic relations further, as Nigeria balances its partnership with the United States against concerns over sovereignty, security cooperation and the portrayal of its internal conflicts on the global stage.
News
OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Health

OpenAI maker of ChatGPT is rolling out a health-focused feature to the generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool that’s used by nearly a billion users.

Named ChatGPT Health, the new feature aims to provide users with health and wellness information. This, as health is one of the most common ways people use ChatGPT, according to OpenAI.
In a blog post, Microsoft-backed OpenAI says de-identified analysis of conversations show that over 230 million people globally ask health and wellness-related questions on ChatGPT every week.
ChatGPT Health will also “securely” connect medical records and wellness apps to ground conversations with a user’s own health information, making responses more relevant and useful.
“Designed in close collaboration with physicians, ChatGPT Health helps people take a more active role in understanding and managing their health and wellness – while supporting, not replacing, care from clinicians.”
According to OpenAI, health information is often scattered across portals, apps, wearables, PDFs, and medical notes making it hard to see the full picture, and people are left to navigate a complex healthcare system on their own.
“ChatGPT Health builds on these so responses are informed by your health information and context. You can now securely connect medical records and wellness apps – like Apple Health, Function, and MyFitnessPal – so ChatGPT can help you understand recent test results, prepare for appointments with your doctor, get advice on how to approach your diet and workout routine, or understand the trade-offs of different insurance options based on your healthcare patterns.”
According to the company, ChatGPT Health is designed to support, not replace, medical care, adding that it is not intended for diagnosis or treatment. “Instead, it helps you navigate everyday questions and understand patterns over time – not just moments of illness – so you can feel more informed and prepared for important medical conversations.
“To keep your health information protected and secure, Health operates as a separate space with enhanced privacy to protect sensitive data. Conversations in Health are not used to train our foundation models. If you start a health-related conversation in ChatGPT, we’ll suggest moving into Health for these additional protections.”
OpenAI adds that access to ChatGPT Health has started with a small group of early users to learn and continue refining the experience, adding that users with ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans outside of the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the UK are eligible.
“As we make improvements, we plan to expand access and make Health available to all users on web and iOS in the coming weeks.
“Medical record integrations and some apps are available in the US only, and connecting Apple Health requires iOS.”
News
Kaspersky Shares AI Cybersecurity Predictions for 2026

Kaspersky experts outline how the rapid development of AI is reshaping the cybersecurity landscape in 2026, both for individual users and for businesses. Large language models (LLMs) are influencing defensive capabilities while simultaneously expanding opportunities for threat actors.

Deepfakes are becoming a mainstream technology, and awareness will continue to grow. Companies are increasingly discussing the risks of synthetic content and training employees to reduce the likelihood of falling victim to it. As the volume of deepfakes grows, so does the range of formats in which they appear.
At the same time, awareness is rising not only within organisations but also among regular users: end consumers encounter fake content more often and better understand the nature of such threats. As a result, deepfakes are becoming a stable element of the security agenda, requiring a systematic approach to training and internal policies.
Deepfake quality will improve through better audio and a lowering barrier to entry. The visual quality of deepfakes is already high, while realistic audio remains the main area for future growth.
At the same time, content generation tools are becoming easier to use: even non-experts can now create a mid-quality deepfake in just a few clicks. As a result, the average quality continues to rise, creation becomes accessible to a far broader audience, and these capabilities will inevitably continue to be leveraged by cybercriminals.
Online deepfakes will continue to evolve but remain tools for advanced users. Real-time face and voice swapping technologies are improving, but their setup still requires more advanced technical skills. Wide adoption is unlikely, yet the risks in targeted scenarios will grow: increasing realism and the ability to manipulate video through virtual cameras make such attacks more convincing.
Efforts to develop a reliable system for labelling AI-generated content will continue. There are still no unified criteria for reliably identifying synthetic content, and current labels are easy to bypass or remove, especially when working with open-source models. For this reason, new technical and regulatory initiatives aimed at addressing the problem are likely to emerge.
Open-weight models will approach top closed models in many cybersecurity-related tasks, which create more opportunities for misuse. Closed models still offer stricter control mechanisms and safeguards, limiting abuse.
However, open-source systems are rapidly catching up in functionality and circulate without comparable restrictions. This blurs the difference between proprietary models and open-source models both of which can be used efficiently for undesired or malicious purposes.
The line between legitimate and fraudulent AI-generated content will become increasingly blurred. AI can already produce well-crafted scam emails, convincing visual identities, and high-quality phishing pages.
At the same time, major brands are adopting synthetic materials in advertising, making AI-generated content look familiar and visually “normal.” As a result, distinguishing real from fake will become even more challenging, both for users and for automated detection systems.
AI will become a cross-chain tool in cyberattacks and be used across most stages of the kill chain. Threat actors already employ LLMs to write code, build infrastructure, and automate operational tasks.
Further advances will reinforce this trend: AI will increasingly support multiple stages of an attack, from preparation and communication to assembling malicious components, probing for vulnerabilities and deploying tools. Attackers will also work to hide signs of AI involvement, making such operations harder to analyse.
“While AI tools are being used in cyberattacks, they are also becoming a more common tool in security analysis and influence how SOC teams work. Agent-based systems will be able to continuously scan infrastructure, identify vulnerabilities, and gather contextual information for investigations, reducing the amount of manual routine work.
“As a result, specialists will shift from manually searching for data to making decisions based on already-prepared context. In parallel, security tools will transition to natural-language interfaces, enabling prompts instead of complex technical queries,” adds Vladislav Tushkanov, Research Development Group Manager at Kaspersky.
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