Telecom
FG Connects 111 Communities to Telephony Services at Igbo Olodumare

Dr Omobola Johnson, minister of Communication Technology has commissioned one of the several Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) deployed across the South West region by Odu’atel through subsidies provided by the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) at Igbo Olodumare in Ondo state.
Through the commissioning of the intervention and commissioning of the BTS, One Hundred and Eleven (111) communities with an estimated population of 664,500 people hitherto without communication were connected to telephony services.
Dr Johnson who made the first voice call at the commissioning reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring that unserved and underserved communities in Nigeria are connected to ICT services.
She disclosed that in the next implementation phase, the USPF plans to support the deployment of more than 200 BTS across the country. This will enable more than three hundred (300) Communities with an estimated population of I.65m have access to ICTs when the phase is completed.
The Federal Government of Nigeria established the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) to facilitate extension of telecommunications services to underserved and unserved communities. The law establishing the USPF i.e. Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003, empowers it to promote widespread availability and usage of network services throughout Nigeria by encouraging the installation of network facilities and the provision of network services to institutions and to unserved and underserved areas and groups in Nigeria.
Dr Johnson who is the Chairman of USPF disclosed that the USPF is initiating various programmes and projects to facilitate the deployment of ICT infrastructure and services which are designed to extend ICT and other telecommunications services to people living in rural areas, where Operators are unlikely to provide services.
One of the programmes according to Dr Johnson designed by the USPF to extend telecommunications services is AMPE (Accelerated Mobile Phone Expansion) Programme which ensures the extension of mobile telephony services to unserved and underserved communities. The AMPE Programme is implemented in collaboration with Network Operators.
The Base Transceiver Station (BTS) is one project under the AMPE Programme through which the USPF provides subsidies to Operators to extend telecommunications services to unserved communities.
Dr Johnson disclosed that while this contributes to the tremendous growth of the telecommunications industry witnessed in the last decade, the Federal Government, as part of the transformation agenda, would not lose focus on an estimated forty million (40m) Nigerians that still lack access to ICT services.
She disclosed that in order to strategically address the ICT needs of these people, the USPF has, based on a Geographical Information System (GIS) study, created ICT Gap Clusters of areas that are unserved or underserved. Each Cluster has the requisite attributes – population estimates, size, major towns, main economic activities/occupation, institutions, vegetation type etc. that would assist USPF in designing projects that address peculiar ICT needs of each community.
In addition, Operators/Implementers would utilize the information in creating the appropriate service-mix for each Cluster.
The ICT Gap clusters is an innovative way of ensuring that all communities benefit from the immense opportunities that ICT brings and are able to effectively participate in the new digital economy. Through the utilization of the ICT Gap Cluster model, the USPF plans to ensure that universal coverage is achieved in the next two – three years.
The Minister thanked members of the communities where the BTSs are located for cooperating with the Implementers during the deployment phase.
She urged the people to protect telecommunications installations located in their communities as vandalism of such ICT infrastructure would result to lack of services, most of which are critical to business and every day activities.
In his remarks, Abdullahi Maikano, secretary USPF, said that the commissioned Base Transceiver Station (BTS) is amongst the very many initiatives of Universal Service Provision Fund towards supporting the transformation agenda of government, though the extension of telecommunications services to rural and underserved areas across the country.
He emphasized that the BTS projects are being implemented in collaboration with licensed Operators in order to ensure sustainability of the services, so that the people for whom the facilities are provided will continue to enjoy uninterrupted services.
He pledged that the USPF will continue to remain in the forefront in executing government’s Policy on Universal Access and Universal Service to ensure equitable socio-economic development of the country.
Telecom
Truecaller Targets Global Market with Powerful New Business Chat Push

Truecaller, the leading global communications platform, today announced the expansion of its Business Chat platform, making it accessible to global channel partners and enterprise solution providers. By “opening up” market access to its platform, Truecaller is empowering partners to transition their enterprise clients from legacy, low-trust SMS to a verified, smart, media-rich, and conversational communication experience.

Truecaller
Through this partner-led expansion, Truecaller empowers businesses to reclaim customer attention and establish immediate trust and credibility.
“The definition of success for modern enterprises has fundamentally evolved. It’s no longer just about delivery – it’s about earning attention, establishing credibility, and driving meaningful conversion,” said Priyam Bose, Global Head, GTM at Truecaller.
“By opening up market access to our global partners, we’ve created a powerful gateway for brands to engage with over 500 million active users where they already interact daily through communication that is contextual, trusted, free from clutter, and designed to initiate actions. For existing customers, the outreach opportunity extends to an additional high-impact channel, strengthening the overall customer experience journey.”
Truecaller Business Chat enables a clutter-free, high-trust conversational experience between businesses and consumers. The Business Chat platform equips partners with actionable insights, including real-time data and rich engagement metrics. This facilitates a more sophisticated, data-driven communication strategy that adapts at every stage of the customer journey.
Partners, including Gupshup and OneXtel, are already live in India along with Globe Teleservices, Cloudcom, and Sling Africa in other global markets, rapidly scaling the product in their respective regions. Global partners can now leverage Truecaller’s massive footprint to offer their clients a trustworthy engagement channel in an increasingly crowded digital world.
Telecom
Apply Now: MTN Nigeria Opens 2026 Media Innovation Programme

MTN Nigeria has opened applications for the fifth edition of its Media Innovation Programme (MIP), expanding the cohort to 25 fellows from 20 in previous years to mark the company’s 25th anniversary and bolster the media sector.

MTN Nigeria
The initiative highlights MTN Nigeria’s 25-year milestone in connecting Nigerians, paralleling investment in storytellers who amplify these connections across society and foster a vibrant media industry amid digital evolution.
“The Media Innovation Programme reflects our commitment to supporting the growth and evolution of the media industry by providing access to knowledge, exposure, and meaningful engagement with the realities shaping it,” said Tobe Okigbo, Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer at MTN Nigeria.
“The expansion to 25 fellows this year is a deliberate reflection of our 25-year milestone, and a reminder that as the media industry continues to evolve, there is a continued need to invest in the people and ideas that will shape its future.”
Applications close April 22, 2026; aspiring fellows can apply at mtnmip.smc.edu.ng.
Telecom
Meta Unveils Muse Spark: MSL’s Groundbreaking People-First AI Model

Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL) unveiled Muse Spark Tuesday, its first large language model in a new Muse series, designed from scratch to deliver “personal superintelligence”—an AI assistant tailored to users’ real-world needs like complex reasoning in science, math and health.

Meta AI
A New Model: Muse Spark
Over the last nine months, Meta Superintelligence Labs rebuilt our AI stack from the ground up, moving faster than any development cycle we have run before. Muse Spark is the first model in our new Muse series — a deliberate and scientific approach to model scaling where each generation validates and builds on the last before we go bigger. This initial model is small and fast by design, yet capable enough to reason through complex questions in science, math, and health. It is a powerful foundation, and the next generation is already in development. Muse Spark now powers the Meta AI assistant in the Meta AI app and meta.ai, built to support complex reasoning and multimodal tasks.
What’s Changed with Meta AI
The Meta AI app and meta.ai are getting an upgrade today, along with a new look. Whether you need a quick answer or help with complex problems that need strong reasoning, Meta AI now handles both. You can switch between modes depending on the task, and Meta AI can launch multiple subagents in parallel to tackle your question. Like planning a family trip to Florida where one agent drafts the itinerary, another compares Orlando vs. the Keys, and a third finds kid-friendly activities — all at the same time, giving you a better answer, faster.
Ask Meta AI: It Understands
The real world moves fast, and most of it does not fit into a text box. That is why we built strong multimodal perception into Muse Spark, so Meta AI can see and understand what you are looking at, not just read what you type. Snap a photo of an airport snack shelf and Meta AI can identify and rank the snacks with the most protein — no label-squinting required. Scan a product and ask how it compares to alternatives. It is the difference between an AI that waits for you to explain the world and one that can simply look at the world with you. And when Meta AI powered by Muse Spark comes to our AI glasses, the assistant will be able to better see and understand the world around you.
Multimodal perception is especially valuable for health. With Muse Spark, Meta AI is now able to help you navigate health questions with more detailed responses, including some questions involving images and charts. Health is one of the top reasons people turn to AI, so we worked with a team of physicians to develop the model’s ability to provide helpful information on common health questions and concerns.
Muse Spark excels at visual coding, letting you create custom websites and mini-games straight from a prompt. Ask Meta AI to build a dashboard for planning a big surprise party, spin up a retro arcade game to chase a high score, or launch a whimsical flight simulator — and share any of them with friends.
Ask Meta AI: It’s Plugged Into What You Care About
Meta AI can now help you discover what to wear, how to style a room, or what to buy for someone you know. Shopping mode draws from the styling inspiration and brand storytelling already happening across our apps, surfacing ideas from the creators and communities people already follow.
And when you are looking up a place to go or a topic that is trending, Meta AI surfaces rich and relevant context right alongside the conversation. Tap into a location and see public posts from locals who know the area. Ask what people are buzzing about and get the full picture, pulled from content and community posts. It is context from your people, right where you need it.
Looking Ahead
The Meta AI app and meta.ai will have the upgraded experience with Instant and Thinking modes everywhere they are available today. The new Meta AI features are starting to roll out in the US on both. In the coming weeks, we will bring these new modes and capabilities to more countries and to the places where people use Meta AI, including Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and our AI glasses — where these perception capabilities become even more powerful. We are also opening access to the underlying technology. It will be available in private preview via API to select partners, and we hope to open-source future versions of the model.
This is only the start. As we expand these features, expect richer, more visual results, with Reels, photos, and posts woven directly into your answers, with credit back to the content creators. And as our models improve, we’ll continue to build safeguards for things like safety and privacy, starting with the strengthened risk framework and other protections we’re sharing today.
The future of Meta AI is rooted in the relationships and context already at the center of your life. We are building toward personal superintelligence — an AI that does not just answer your questions but truly understands your world because it is built on it.
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