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Ericsson Predict 200% Growth in Smartphone Adoption by 2021

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Smartphone subscriptions will increase by more than 200% between 2015 and 2021 in the Middle East and Africa, according to the latest Ericsson Mobility Report.

Growth in mobile broadband subscriptions is expected to quadruple across the two regions in the same period, due to a young and growing population, rising GDP and smartphone uptake.

“In Sub-Saharan Africa, WCDMA/HSPA will become predominant towards 2021, due to the high number of lower income consumers using 3G-enabled handsets. Combined with increasing availability of low cost smartphones and demand for mobile broadband services, there will be a shift from a voice-centric GSM/EDGE-only majority of subscriptions in 2015 to a majority of WCDMA/HSPA and LTE-subscriptions by 2021,” the Report states.

The projection corroborates a claim by Eric Cador, the president of Lenovo’s Europe, Middle East and Africa operations, that prolific use of smarphones to access the internet has positioned Africa as ‘the next great market’.

“Africa is one of the first continents when first-hand users are testing the internet, phone-first. That’s pretty new, which makes Africa the biggest continent for smartphones – bigger than China, bigger than India,” Cador had said in his presentation at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Ericsson notes that the Middle East and Africa will see a shift from 2G to a market where almost 80% of subscriptions will be for 3G/4G and a 12 x growth in smartphone traffic within the six-year period.

According to the report, Africa, like Central Europe and Middle East, will experience a 13-fold increase in mobile data traffic up to 2021, driven by strong growth in smartphone subscriptions (particularly for LTE), and demand for data-intensive applications like video.

It notes that there are large differences in subscribers’ data consumption patterns between networks, markets and subscriber segments. This is influenced by data plans, user device capabilities, network performance and switching to a new version of the same device.


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MTN Nigeria Non-Executive Director Mazen Mroue Quits to Focus on Group Role

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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 Non-Executive Director Mazen Mroue Quits to Focus on Group Role

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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.


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Google Adds Yorùbá, Hausa to AI Search, Boosting Access for Millions of Nigerians

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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.

Google Adds Yorùbá, Hausa to AI Search, Boosting Access for Millions of Nigerians

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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.


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MultiChoice Shuts Down Showmax After 11 Years Amid Streaming Wars

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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 Shuts Down Showmax After 11 Years Amid Streaming Wars

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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.


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