Telecom
T-Mobile Acquires Octopus Interactive Video Provider
T-Mobile announced the acquisition of Octopus Interactive, which operates video screens inside Uber and Lyft vehicles. Terms were not disclosed.
With Octopus Interactive, T-Mobile is upping its mobile advertising game, much like it promised. The move is part of the Marketing Solutions group, T-Mobile’s growing ad technology business.
Octopus Interactive helps brands reach audiences through video ads presented on screens inside rideshare vehicles, giving marketers yet another way to reach consumers.
According to a press release, Octopus is the largest national network of interactive video screens inside Uber and Lyft vehicles. Its rideshare network enables brands to do geotargeted campaigns across a range of “highly engaged” consumers. (Because what else are you going to do in the back of an Uber, look at your phone?)
According to Adweek, Octopus partners with drivers to offer back-seat tablets with live games, including some that give away cash prizes, ride information and weather. Ads are interspersed throughout the content.
This way T-Mobile gets access to more screens as well as Octopus’s clients, which include Audible, Fox Entertainment and Philo. Going forward, Octopus’s devices will be powered via T-Mobile’s network.
“With this move, we’re expanding our toolkit for marketers, meeting the needs of advertisers and empowering brands to better connect with consumers, beyond linear and traditional digital channels,” said Mike Peralta, VP and GM of T-Mobile’s Marketing Solutions division, in the release. “As the Un-carrier, we’re committed to disrupting the ad tech space. We’re making good on that commitment through innovative solutions, like Octopus.”
In 2019, Octopus Interactive raised a $10.3 million funding round led by controversial TV giant Sinclair Digital Group, according to Techcrunch. At the time, backset TVs were becoming a common part of the taxi experience, albeit a short-lived one for some folks as Covid set in. The Octopus service was framed as a way for drivers to earn extra money while keeping passengers entertained.
Mixing it up
T-Mobile is no stranger to ride-sharing endeavors, powering the 5G network behind Halo, an autonomous driving startup getting its wings in Las Vegas. It’s “semi” autonomous in the sense that the Halo service autonomously drives a car to a customer’s premise, then the human driver takes over from there.
Things already are pretty moving fast for the service. Last Friday, Halo powered the official pace car for the Autonomous Challenge at CES, billed as the first high-speed, head-to-head autonomous racecar competition, with nine Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) teams from eight countries competing.
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.
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