Telecom
Nigeria Lags in 4G Availability Report of Africa
Nigeria seats at eighth position out of 10 top African countries with 4G availability according to mobile analytics company Opensignal in its State of Mobile Network Experience report which was published last month.
Opensignal’s 4G availability analysis shows Kenya, Morocco and South Africa featured in the top four – but the winner was something of a revelation, the firm says.
Senegal topped the Africa table with a score of 77.2% – beating some much more advanced markets in the global rankings.
According to Opensignal, Senegal can be proud of a relatively advanced 4G mobile network experience, as Orange has already launched LTE-A in the country, while Tigo’s 4G network rollout is well under way.
“Much like in our download speed analysis, only one African country saw its 4G availability fall over the past year, as Ghana saw its score drop nearly five percentage points to 61.2%,” Boyland notes.
“Our users in Senegal saw a big improvement in their chart-topping 4G availability score, which increased over 15 points to reach 77.2%, but Egypt saw the greatest improvement of over 17 points in the past year to top 65%, while Algeria and Nigeria also saw their scores grow by over 10 points.”
Mobile-first markets
However, when measuring how the mobile-first markets in Africa stack up against each other, Opensignal compared 10 countries from the continent: SA, Tunisia, Morocco, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Senegal and Nigeria.
“South Africa topped our Africa Download Speed Experience chart with a fairly impressive score of 15Mbps, while Tunisia, Morocco and Kenya managed average speeds of over 10Mbps,” says Peter Boyland, senior analyst at Opensignal.
Earlier this year, the mobile analytics company noted SA is one of the world’s most consistent countries when comparing the difference between the slowest and fastest 4G download speeds that mobile users experience throughout the day.
In the latest study, the firm, nonetheless, says SA’s score was quite a way behind the leading global scores, but the country still just managed to sneak into the top half of the global rankings.
The firm explains that almost all the African countries it analysed saw their download speed experience scores increase over the past year, with only Algeria (3.1Mbps) seeing its average speed dip slightly.
It adds that between the first three months of 2018 and the same period of 2019, Tunisia saw the biggest increase in terms of Mbps, as its score grew 3.6Mbps to reach an average of 13.4Mbps.
“But our users in Senegal experienced the greatest download speed experience boost by percentage, as the average speed in the country jumped close to 50%,” Boyland says.
Good video
Opensignal points out that SA also topped the video experience table, as one of two African nations which scored a “good” rating (55-65 out of 100) in this metric.
It explains that a good video experience is characterised by video streamed from the Internet to a phone or tablet rendering at both low and high resolutions, but exhibiting some loading time before playback begins and some stalling, especially at higher resolutions.
Tunisia also managed a good rating, while three African countries – Egypt, Morocco and Kenya – scored in the “fair” range (40-55).
“Our users in these countries should expect longer loading times and frequent stalling at higher resolutions, but a better video experience at low resolutions,” Boyland says.
Half of the African countries Opensignal analysed rated as “poor” for video experience (0-40), characterised by frequent stalling during video playback and long loading times, even at low resolutions.
Since 4G is still in its infancy in many African markets, the firm says a large proportion of the continent’s mobile networks are not yet suited to delivering a good mobile video experience.
But, nonetheless, it says mobile coverage, and particularly data connectivity, are transforming the lives of billions of people on the continent.
“The majority of Africans have never experienced fixed-line broadband, meaning mobile is opening up services such as mobile banking and payments, social media and even instant messaging that many of us have taken for granted for decades. And as 4G connectivity improves and 5G comes to the continent, more and more people will see their lives transformed by their mobile network experience,” Boyland concludes.
ntel, has officially moved away from its traditional voice and data business, unveiling a major transformation that will see it focus on digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence and technology-driven services.
As part of the consolidation process, ntel unveiled The Next Frontier, a transformation agenda planned to see the firm transform into an integrated digital infrastructure, connectivity and real estate enterprise.
Its new focus is a now BET Agenda – anchored on three growth pillars, Beam, Eden, and Titan and the drivers said that the strategy reflected ntel’s commitment to creating new opportunities through technology innovation, infrastructure development, and strategic asset optimisation.
The launch comes as ntel continues its journey towards regaining spectrum assets, while actively leveraging strategic partnerships to redefine innovation in the telecommunications industry and unlock new pathways for growth.
Built on the company’s BET Agenda – anchored on three growth pillars, Beam, Eden, and Titan – the strategy reflected ntel’s commitment to creating new opportunities through technology innovation, infrastructure development, and strategic asset optimisation.
The launch comes as ntel continues its journey towards regaining spectrum assets, while actively leveraging strategic partnerships to redefine innovation in the telecommunications industry and unlock new pathways for growth.
The company also showcased a portfolio of initiatives designed to strengthen its position as a future-focused infrastructure platform.
Under Beam, ntel announced the launch of WakaGo, a global e-SIM solution that delivers seamless connectivity for international travellers, alongside AirFibre, a high-speed fixed wireless broadband service designed to provide reliable internet access for businesses.
Under Titan, the company highlighted its growing infrastructure business focused on tower development, fibre connectivity, duct infrastructure, colocation services, and infrastructure sharing solutions that enable operators, enterprises, and technology providers to expand efficiently and sustainably.
A major highlight of the launch was Eden, ntel’s real estate development platform, which is transforming NatCom’s extensive property portfolio into high-value commercial and residential developments.
To further push its transformation, the company unveiled three flagship projects. They are Eden Place, a premium multi-storey commercial development in Lagos’ prime business district.
There is also Nova Place, a modern commercial development strategically located within Port Harcourt’s growing technology and business hub.
Terenna Court, a premium multi-storey residential apartment development in Abuja.
Together, these projects demonstrate ntel’s ambition to unlock the full potential of its real estate assets through strategic partnerships, innovative design, and long-term value creation.
Speaking at the unveiling of The Next Frontier, Soji Maurice-Diya, managing director/chief executive officer, NatCom Development and Investment Limited (trading as ntel), described the initiative as far more than a business transformation strategy.
According to him, it represents the company’s commitment to building an integrated ecosystem that connects people, empowers businesses, drives digital inclusion, and creates sustainable economic value for Nigeria.
Airtel Africa Foundation, through Airtel Nigeria, has reaffirmed its commitment to developing Nigeria’s future workforce with a high-impact virtual masterclass designed to equip young people with the practical skills required to thrive in an increasingly technology-driven economy.
The Initiative, held to commemorate World Youth Skills Day 2026, themed “Skills for a Shared Future – The NextGen Advantage,” presented a platform on which experienced Airtel professionals provided mentorship and coaching to undergraduates, interns, and recent graduates for the current realities of formal work environments.
Organised on the auspices of the Airtel Employee Volunteer Programme (EVP), by which staff donate their time and expertise towards social programmes, the 90-minute virtual masterclass, which was attended by over 400 undergraduates and young professionals, extended the reach of the Foundation’s education and youth development programmes.
Speaking on the initiative, Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Dinesh Balsingh, said investing in young people remains one of the most impactful ways to build Nigeria’s future economy.
He said, “The future of work is changing faster than ever before, and success will increasingly belong to those who are equipped with the right skills, the right mindset, and the confidence to adapt. As an organisation, we believe that empowering young people with practical digital and professional capabilities is an investment in Nigeria’s future competitiveness.
Through our Employee Volunteer Programme, our people are sharing not just knowledge, but real industry experience to help shape careers, unlock opportunities, and prepare the next generation to lead in a digital world.”
Unlike traditional career seminars, the masterclass adopted an interactive learning model that offered participants the option to select specialised breakout sessions aligned with personal interests and career aspirations.
In his keynote remarks titled The Next Gen Advantage, Director, Corporate Communications and CSR, Airtel Nigeria, Femi Adeniran, noted that the future will be shaped by the skills to transform great ideas into impactful solutions.
He summed up the pathway to a future-ready career into five actions, namely learning continuously, solving problems, building a digital reputation, embracing Artificial Intelligence, and developing human skills.
“Technical knowledge remains important, but employers today are equally looking for adaptability, collaboration, communication, digital confidence, and the ability to learn continuously,” he said.
In the first general session titled Your Network is Your Net Worth, Adebimpe Ayo-Elias, Director, Human Resources and Administration, Airtel Nigeria, charged attendees to build character. The second general session themed Your Money, Your Future, delivered tips on budgeting and financial discipline was facilitated by Olakunbi Osigbesan, Head, Treasure, Smartcash PSB.
Following the general sessions were five breakout rooms, in which attendees were offered curated guides designed to develop contemporary workplace competencies.
The first session, Digital Transformation and Growth, led by Oyebowale Akideinde, General Manager, Digital and Innovation, Airtel Nigeria, presented a mechanism to leverage digital platforms for visibility and opportunity creation.
The CV Clinic and Interview Masterclass, which was led by Chidera Okoye, HR Outsourcing Lead, Airtel Nigeria, discussed practical recruitment strategies, including applicant tracking system (ATS)-friendly CVs, and the STAR interview framework.
A third session on Communication and Personal Branding, delivered by Sam Adeoye, Head, Public Relations, Airtel Nigeria, focused on value presentation, executive communication, and earned visibility, built on “V.I.R.A.L.”, a mnemonic device created for the attendees by the facilitator.
The programme also featured a dedicated session titled AI as Your Superpower, presented by Ezenwa Agbanusi, IT Governance Executive at Airtel Nigeria, in which participants discussed prompt engineering and AI-powered tools for enhanced learning, creativity, and workplace performance.
Corporate Social Responsibility Lead at Airtel Nigeria, Victoria Ndu, led the fifth breakout room on Emotional Intelligence, with a guide on building a high emotional intelligence quotient (EQ) for improved workplace and business performance.
By connecting future professionals directly with industry experts, the company continues to support the development of a workforce equipped to participate meaningfully in Nigeria’s rapidly evolving digital economy and contribute to shared prosperity.
U.S. ride-hailing giant Uber has agreed to acquire German food delivery company Delivery Hero in a deal valued at €12.7 billion ($14.6 billion), marking one of the largest transactions in the global food delivery industry.
Uber
The companies announced the agreement on Thursday, with Uber offering €41.50 per share for Delivery Hero, a Berlin-based company that has grown into one of the world’s largest online food delivery platforms.
Despite the announcement, Delivery Hero’s shares declined by 0.5 per cent in Frankfurt trading to €37.90.
Founded in 2011, Delivery Hero operates in more than 60 markets across Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.
The company has expanded beyond traditional restaurant delivery services into quick commerce, providing rapid delivery of groceries and other consumer goods.
Under the agreement, Uber will acquire Delivery Hero’s operations in 50 markets globally.
As part of the transaction, U.S.-based investment firm SSW Partners will acquire Delivery Hero’s businesses in 14 additional markets where the German company and Uber currently compete. The transaction is valued at approximately €1.4 billion.
Delivery Hero Chief Executive Officer and co-founder, Niklas Östberg, said the partnership would strengthen the company’s long-term growth by combining its local market expertise with Uber’s global technology and delivery platform.
“Uber’s global mobility and delivery platform and our shared commitment to innovation make this the right partnership to build on Delivery Hero’s strengths in local food delivery and quick commerce,” Östberg said.
Uber Chief Executive Officer, Dara Khosrowshahi, said the acquisition would expand the company’s delivery operations while creating new opportunities for merchants, consumers and delivery workers.
“A merger would extend affordable, reliable delivery to many millions more people in some of the world’s most dynamic economies, while creating more opportunities for merchants and couriers,” he said.
Delivery Hero’s management has unanimously recommended that shareholders approve the offer.
The companies said the transaction remains subject to shareholder approval and regulatory approvals, with completion expected in the second half of 2027.
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