This is largely driven by rapid advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and cloud-based platforms, resulting in the communication landscape undergoing a profound transformation.

When considering the strategic priorities for businesses in South Africa, it is essential to focus on addressing core pain points that hinder growth and sustainability.

These typically fall into several key categories, namely compliance, competition, security, reputation management and operational efficiency – revenue increase or cost decrease.

AI plays a pivotal role in tackling these challenges. Take reputation management, for example. Today’s customers expect their issues to be resolved promptly, regardless of the time of day.

AI-powered solutions such as virtual assistants and chatbots enable businesses to deliver 24/7 customer support, ensuring fast, effective and consistent responses.

Beyond customer service, AI automates routine tasks, freeing human agents to focus on more complex, high-value issues. This not only enhances productivity but also improves overall operational efficiency.

Moreover, AI’s ability to analyse customer data in real time allows businesses to personalise interactions at scale.

Tailored communication fosters stronger customer relationships, boosts satisfaction and loyalty, and can even drive customer acquisition.

For example, a leading South African courier aggregator, Bob Group recently evolved from using simple SMS notifications to adopting a full omnichannel communication strategy, integrating Rich Communication Services (RCS), WhatsApp and email.

This shift has improved delivery transparency, strengthened trust with customers, and cut communication costs by as much as 25%, demonstrating how advanced messaging can directly enhance operational performance.

Role of predictive analytics

Predictive analytics has become another cornerstone of modern communication platforms, ultimately benefiting both the customers and businesses.

These tools help organisations understand who their customers are and what they will need next. By anticipating behaviour, companies can engage more proactively and respond faster.

This approach also sharpens customer segmentation, enabling more relevant content and highly personalised experiences.

As a result, conversions improve, trust deepens, and customers feel seen and aligned with the brand’s values. The outcome is stronger loyalty and increased revenue through deeper, data-driven relationships.

As the communications landscape continues to evolve, cloud-based platforms are increasingly helping businesses reduce infrastructure costs, accelerate time to market and simplify compliance, as providers handle much of the regulatory burden.

Many organisations already have access to these tools through platforms like Microsoft Azure, Adobe Commerce, Oracle, Zoho, and Salesforce, where communication features are often natively integrated.

These platforms offer global reach, scalability, and multi-channel flexibility, all through a single interface.

This enables seamless customer engagement across diverse regions and channels, including emerging ones like TikTok.

As digital transformation accelerates, South African enterprises are rapidly adopting these solutions to stay competitive, agile and connected in a global market.

Eagerness to overcome challenges

However, despite companies’ willingness to invest in this type of technology, key obstacles remain. At least, we are seeing a strong eagerness among businesses to overcome these digital challenges.

Infrastructure limitations persist, with many businesses needing upgrades to reach comfortable operational levels.

There is also a clear skills gap, with many teams struggling to fully leverage available technologies for maximum efficiency and speed.

Data privacy concerns and a mild resistance to change still exist, though most companies recognise the need to invest in transformation.

To navigate these hurdles, businesses must partner with cloud communication providers that offer flexibility, deep expertise and hands-on guidance.

Smooth onboarding and strategic support can make all the difference, helping companies scale communication, engage customers effectively and accelerate their digital journey.

It is fascinating to witness the pace of transformation across Africa. In many ways, the continent has leapfrogged traditional development stages, moving from print media straight into the internet and smartphone era, often bypassing the TV-dominated phase seen elsewhere.

This rapid shift is reshaping how Africa engages with technology and the world.

One of the most striking trends is the evolution of chat apps into super apps, increasingly powered by agentic AI.

These intelligent systems can now handle tasks autonomously and soon will require no coding skills and even make purchases on behalf of users. We are heading towards AI that is intuitive, embedded and action oriented.

Africa’s unique trajectory, marked by adaptability and digital openness, positions it to embrace this next wave of innovation faster than many expect. We are not just witnessing change; we are watching the future unfold in real time.

Detoxification uses various methods. Diet. Herbal remedies. Intermittent fasting. Therapy. Research says the goal is to support your body’s natural detox systems: the liver, kidneys, and digestive tract to cleanse and purify your body.

On the one hand

A digital detox detaches you from social media platforms and electronic devices: mobile phones, laptops, or tablets.

It is a digital reset. It forces you to be present. The idea is to break the cycle of dependency on digital devices. The overall effect can lead to improved mental health. Better sleep. Meaningful interactions with others. I observe digital detox every week.

On the other hand

A Fintech detox can be as short or as long as you want. Recently, I had a 72-hour Fintech detox. I was refreshed. You may not even think about it. But in the new dispensation, you may go days or weeks without engaging Fintech in any form.

It may be a major reset. It is up to you. For me, I took three days off and shunned engagements with Fintech. I took a break from Fintech. I did not use Fintech products, even to receive and send funds. Can you try it?

In the long term

The pandemic has changed the electronic payments landscape and hastened the adoption of instant payments as people switch to electronic channels for funds exchange. The Covid has transformed our lifestyle. Electronic payment is our world.

The effect of the pandemic has pushed all of us to worship at the Fintech altar. We have moved from cash to card, from bank branch to virtual payment and from virtual to instant payment.

Then many Fintech start-ups emerged to oil the path of worship. A report from ACI Worldwide and Global Data, a leading data and Analytics Company, and the Centre for Economics and Business Research says the volume of real-time payment transactions in Nigeria’s economy will hit 8.9 billion in 2027 from 5.1 billion in 2022.

NIBSS Instant Payments (NIP) is Nigeria’s real-time payment system. NIBSS rolled out NIP in 2011. It is an account-number-based online, real-time inter-bank payment solution. The banks, micro-finance banks, and mobile money operators support NIP.

You can use it via the Internet, mobile banking, bank branches, kiosks, USSD, PoS terminals, and ATMs. This has helped NIP to achieve high adoption and usage rates.

With Fintech detox, you have eliminated phishing, identity theft, and fraud because you rely on cash and not a card. Your spending is minimised.

You are not compelled to spend money because you have prepared for all your needs in advance. No mobile banking. No USSD. No online shopping.

You will not send money via electronic means. You will rely on cash for your purchases. You will not register to complete any transaction.

You’d reduce screen time. In exchange, you will have productive time. For instance, if you spend an average of six hours online per day, that is about 180 hours per month. You can transfer this to improve your life.

By disconnecting from Fintech, and by extension digital, I did more. I concentrated more. I got more out of life.

I finished personal projects on time. Maybe you can work at it too. In the process, you could pick up a new skill that could lead to a promotion. Or get a raise at work. Perhaps you can start a side hustle for some extra income.

When I discovered Fintech detox, I was on a digital detox. I had restricted access to my mobile phone and laptop. The devices were in my limo’s trunk at a retreat. Yes, because I had no access to my devices, I had no access to the Fintech menu. That was the ha-ha moment.

The next time you need more hours to work on a project, consider a digital detox. It will lead you to Fintech detox. No screen time equals Fintech detox. Fintech detox means working offline.

In the short term

With Fintech, you need a device to pay bills, make transfers, and shop online. Start with a digital detox. Then graduate to Fintech detox.

This initiative comes in light of the increasing competition from Starlink, the satellite internet service that has rapidly gained traction since its entry into the Kenyan market last year.

Effective immediately, Safaricom has increased the speed of its existing fibre plans. The 10 Mbps package now offers speeds of 15 Mbps for KES 3,000 (approximately $23), while the 20 Mbps plan has been elevated to 30 Mbps. 

Customers on the 40 Mbps tier will now enjoy doubled speeds of 80 Mbps, and the 100 Mbps package has seen a dramatic increase to 500 Mbps, available for KES 12,500 ($97). Notably, Safaricom has also launched a gigabit internet service, providing speeds of 1 Gbps for KES 20,000 ($155), marking a significant milestone for internet service provision in the region.

Additionally, the company has introduced a family share plan, allowing customers to bundle mobile voice, SMS, data, and home internet services for up to five family members. This plan offers discounts of up to 20% compared to purchasing services separately, built for the growing demand for comprehensive connectivity solutions.

CEO Peter Ndegwa noted the company’s focus on enhancing customer experience: “We have enhanced our Home Internet speeds to meet the increasing demand and usage, providing reliable connectivity and enhanced value for our customers.” Safaricom is also set to engage in community initiatives, including estate clinics aimed at boosting service availability in congested areas, and will explore 4G and 5G options for regions lacking fibre infrastructure.

For businesses, Safaricom has tailored dedicated internet plans, starting with a shared 15 Mbps option for smaller enterprises, scaling up to a 100 Mbps shared plan for more established businesses.

These enhancements reveal a direct response to Starlink’s market presence, which has reportedly signed up over 4,000 customers since its launch in June 2023. Starlink offers competitive speeds of up to 200 Mbps at KES 6,500 ($50) and has introduced flexible payment options, including a rental scheme for its equipment.

Safaricom recently sought regulatory intervention from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) to restrict the operations of foreign satellite internet providers, including Starlink. The CA has acknowledged Safaricom’s objections, which may impact the dynamics of the broadband market in Kenya as competition intensifies. 

The report, which collated and analysed over 1.5 billion speed tests from around the world over a 12-month period ending June 30, 2024, provides a comprehensive overview of internet speeds in 229 countries.

Nigeria recorded an average download speed of 27.62 Mbps, placing it 132nd globally, a slight improvement from its 133rd position in 2023.

Nigeria’s Position in Sub-Saharan Africa

In the context of Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria’s 7th place position in broadband speed tells us of the existing challenges in improving internet infrastructure and accessibility.

The top-performing country in this region is Réunion, with an average download speed of 63.29 Mbps. South Africa follows with 42.42 Mbps, Eswatini with 37.23 Mbps, Rwanda with 32.69 Mbps, Mauritius with 31.12 Mbps, and Botswana with 29.52 Mbps. These countries have set benchmarks that Nigeria aims to reach as it continues to develop its digital infrastructure.

Global Context and Comparisons

Globally, the countries with the fastest internet speeds are predominantly from Europe and parts of Asia. Iceland tops the list with an astounding average speed of 279.55 Mbps, moving up from fourth place last year due to its exceptional full fiber penetration, which provides at least 100 Mbps to 99.9% of its population.

Jersey, which was the first jurisdiction to make pure fiber available to every broadband user, follows closely with 273.51 Mbps. Macau maintains its third-place position with 234.74 Mbps, while Liechtenstein, where 99% of the population are internet users, holds the fourth spot with 222.98 Mbps. Denmark rounds out the top five with an average speed of 210.51 Mbps.

Regional Averages and Insights

The report also provides a detailed analysis of internet speed across different global regions. Western Europe leads with an average speed of 141.12 Mbps, driven by countries like Iceland, Jersey, and Liechtenstein.

The Baltics, with an average speed of 106.45 Mbps, also perform exceptionally well, with Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia all featuring in the top 50. Northern America, with an average speed of 104.18 Mbps, sees the United States and Canada leading the way, while regions like the Near East (50.27 Mbps) and Central America (41.39 Mbps) show moderate performance.

Sub-Saharan Africa, with an average speed of 14.99 Mbps, is the second slowest region globally, ahead of only Northern Africa, which averages 12.52 Mbps. This highlights the huge disparity in internet speeds and the ongoing challenges faced by many African nations in upgrading their digital infrastructure.

Detailed Analysis of Nigeria’s Broadband Performance

Nigeria’s broadband speed of 27.62 Mbps, while improving, still shows the broader challenges of internet connectivity in the region. With 163,703 unique IPs tested and a total of 3,007,669 tests conducted, the data indicates a growing but still nascent digital infrastructure.

Downloading a 5GB movie in Nigeria would take approximately 12 hours and 24 minutes, a stark contrast to the mere minutes it would take in top-ranking countries.

This slow internet speed in Nigeria affects not only individual users but also businesses and educational institutions that rely heavily on the internet for daily operations.

The need for faster and more reliable internet is important for Nigeria’s economic growth, as digital connectivity plays a key role in various sectors, including finance, healthcare, education, and entertainment.

The report’s findings points to the importance of continued investment in broadband infrastructure to bridge the digital divide.

For Nigeria, improving its ranking will require huge efforts from both the government and private sector. Initiatives to expand fiber optic networks, enhance mobile broadband services, and increase the affordability of internet access are essential steps towards achieving this goal.

Although Nigeria’s improved ranking in the 2024 Worldwide Broadband Speed League is a positive sign, there is still a long way to go to match the speeds enjoyed by top-performing countries.

Addressing the infrastructural challenges and investing in digital technologies will be essential for Nigeria to enhance its internet speeds, foster economic development, and improve the quality of life for its citizens.

The study’s goals are to highlight the strengths and opportunities for Africa’s DNS industry, and establish a Trial Observatory for ongoing monitoring of its status and growth.

BREAKING: Nigeria Domain Names [.NG] Registration Surpass 225,000

Techeconomy brings to you key highlights of the report as shared by Coalition for Digital Africa at ICANN80 in Kigali, Rwanda.

1. DNS Growth in Africa

The projected average annual overall growth in the number of domain names across the continent is 12.4%, suggesting significant opportunities for local providers in individual country.

2. Extensive Infrastructure Growth

Over 1.1 million kilometres of terrestrial and submarine fiber cables interconnect the continent, enhancing cross-border communications and internet access.

3. Digital Divide Challenges

Despite infrastructure growth, high Internet access costs continue to limit widespread usage, with the average African spending about 4% of their monthly income on 1GB of data – twice the global affordability target.

4. Domain Name Registration

As of November 2023, there are over 4.33 million domains registered under the African country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) with an additional 1.4 million generic top level domain registrations from African entities.

5. Local Hosting and Content Disparities

A significant concentration of web content and domain hosting remains within only a few countries, underscoring the need for more localized Internet service.

Excerpts:

Nigeria

According to the study, Nigeria moved up to 2nd place and is now two points ahead of Kenya. As with South Africa and Kenya, Nigeria has multiple undersea cables.

The ccTLD is well run, there are now six IXPs and multiple Data Centres. Nigeria’s biggest advantage is its huge population and large economy.

It is, however, heavily reliant on oil revenue, which has taken a battering. Recently its dependence on oil almost crippled the economy in 2020, as the pandemic highlighted the losses to the Federal government’s revenue.

Coming in just after Kenya on the number of ccTLD domains but ahead on gTLD domains, Nigeria also has a high score from its six IXPs.

Despite having good Data Centres, 98% of the websites identified were hosted overseas.

In fact, of the top 6 web hosting companies, only one has a .NG domain name, and all of them host their own websites in the USA or in South Africa.

The latter may be a function of Nigeria’s large population size, or perhaps is driven by avoiding the stigma of the .NG domain and its association with “419” scams.

Google indexes a total of 44.3 million web pages under the .NG domain, significantly up from 16 million

The Nigerian economy has recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic and has gradually seen an increase in nonoil revenue especially from the ICT sector, which contributed almost 16% in 2022.

Nigeria has the highest number of Internet users on the continent.

Meanwhile, the outcomes will help inform the Coalition for Digital Africa of future growth opportunities and development, both locally and regionally, in line with the Coalition’s guiding principles.

This is the view of Workonline Communications, one of the leading providers of wholesale IP transit services in Africa, commenting on recent disruptions to internet connectivity across the continent due to multiple undersea cable faults.

“The cable breaks on both sides of the continent have highlighted the issue of the lack of capacity to support Africa’s burgeoning internet requirements,” says Edward Lawrence of the Workonline Group. 

“There are 574 active and planned submarine cables across the globe, yet South Africa only has 10 that connect it to the rest of the world, and seven of these are currently out of action.”

In February 2024, three vital cables—AAE-1, EIG, and SEACOM—connecting the east coast of Africa to Europe were disrupted, allegedly due to vandalism by the Houthis.

Then, on March 14, 2024, four out of the five west coast cables—SAT3, WACS, ACE, and MainOne—were affected, reportedly by an undersea rock fall near Ivory Coast. These incidents, in relation to the undersea cable, have significantly impacted internet connectivity, not only in South Africa but across the entire continent.

The capacity constraints are further complicated by the time it takes to not only repair submarine cables, but also to lay new infrastructure. Lawrence explains that it can take 18 months or longer to plan for new cables, and a further two years or more to actually build and commission them.

“We’re fortunate that due to our investment in Africa and abroad, we are able to be more nimble than most and can increase our undersea capacity at speed. We’ve designed our network to be as resilient as possible, acquiring capacity on the most stable routes we can find. Incremental capacity, or augments as they are referred to, require us to acquire hundreds of Gbps of capacity at a time, so we rely on our deep relationships which we’ve developed across the industry.” 

Through strategic partnerships and investments in mega Points of Presence (PoPs) across Africa, Workonline remains at the forefront of delivering high-quality IP transit services to meet the evolving needs of ISPs and CDNs in Africa.

“We understand the critical importance of internet connectivity in today’s digital age,” added Lawrence. “As such, we are committed to proactively managing network disruptions and minimizing downtime to provide our customers with the continuity they need to thrive in a competitive landscape.”

Workonline (AS 37271), founded in 2006, is one of the largest IP transit networks in Africa. The company operates mega PoPs across South, East and West Africa, Europe, and Asia, and is continually expanding its infrastructure across the African continent.

Based on preliminary findings by MainOne, an operator of undersea cable that connects parts of Africa to Europe, the fault resulted from an incident on its submarine cable system, offshore the coast of West Africa, that has also affected other cable systems and disrupting international connectivity and internet services across West Africa.

The company also said it is working with cable systems that are not affected by this incident or previous outages to secure restoration capacity and the technical team is working assiduously to begin the restoration of services

MainOne’s statement reads:

“Earlier, Thursday, March 14, 2024, we experienced a fault on the MainOne network. Based on preliminary findings the fault resulted from an incident on our submarine cable system, offshore the coast of West Africa, that has also affected other cable systems and disrupting international connectivity and internet services across West Africa.

“We are working with cable systems that are not affected by this incident or previous outages to secure restoration capacity and our technical team is working assiduously to begin the restoration of services,  subject to availability  of capacity and service configuration specifics. We will also provide incremental updates on the root cause and efforts to repair the submarine cable as soon as those details become available.

“We want to assure our customers that all hands are fully on deck to repair the cable and restore all services and the MainOne quality that you have come to rely on.

“We thank you for your patience and understanding”.

Danbatta stated that broadband connectivity, driven by the Federal Government and facilitated by the NCC, would play a crucial role in enhancing e-procurement practices.

eProcurement refers to the use of electronic means in conducting a public procurement procedure for the purchase of goods, works or services.

He made this revelation while receiving the “Excellent Service Delivery and Accountability Award from the Association of Public Procurement Practitioners of Nigeria, APPON, recently.

According to the EVC, investment in broadband infrastructure in Nigeria is already bringing significant benefits to the e-procurement sector. It is transforming the way businesses engage in procurement processes, particularly in Government-to-Business (G2B) and other e-government activities.

He said improved internet connectivity allows businesses across the country to have faster and more reliable access to e-procurement platforms. This enables them to submit proposals, monitor tender opportunities in real time, and participate in online bidding processes.

“The NCC’s focus on improving broadband infrastructure demonstrates its commitment to leveraging technology to revolutionize procurement governance.

“By unlocking new possibilities for businesses and public institutions, e-procurement has the potential to streamline processes, reduce corruption risks, and increase efficiency in the procurement ecosystem.”

The NCC aims to create an enabling environment for e-procurement to flourish by prioritizing the attainment of widespread broadband connectivity throughout the country.

The NCC’s dedication to transparency, the adoption of e-procurement, and the development of broadband infrastructure reflect a forward-thinking approach aimed at enhancing governance and driving economic growth in Nigeria.

The TV commercial features Eyinna Nwigwe, a popular Nollywood actor, portraying a young man who seamlessly manages his remote work routine while staying connected with business associates and loved ones worldwide.

Femi Oshinlaja, the Chief Commercial Officer of Airtel Nigeria, emphasized the advantages of Airtel Broadband, stating that its high-speed internet and reliable connection make it the preferred choice for users seeking a dependable and data-accessible connection.

The Airtel Home Broadband enables users to effortlessly access websites, stream videos, and download files while experiencing minimal disruptions in their online activities.

This reliability makes it an ideal option for individuals who require a stable connection to complete their work tasks or stay in touch with friends and family.

Airtel Nigeria offers various Home Broadband packages to cater to different needs. These include:

• Basic Package: Provides unlimited internet with download speeds of up to 40Mbps.
• Standard Package: Offers download speeds of 100Mbps.
• Entertainment Package: Provides download speeds of 200Mbps.
• Professional Package: Also offers download speeds of 200Mbps.
• Infinity Package: Provides the highest download speed of up to 1Gbps.
• All of these packages come with unlimited internet access, ensuring that users can enjoy uninterrupted connectivity for their online activities.

The launch of the TV commercial showcases Airtel Nigeria’s commitment to providing reliable and high-speed home broadband services, meeting the increasing demand for fast and uninterrupted internet connectivity in the country

This means that more than half of Nigeria’s population will have access to broadband Internet services.

Additionally, the NCC has set a more ambitious target of achieving 90% broadband penetration by the year 2025. This demonstrates the regulator’s commitment to enhancing digital inclusion, supporting economic growth, and enabling various sectors to leverage the benefits of connectivity.

To achieve these goals, the NCC is actively working with internet service providers and other stakeholders to expand broadband infrastructure and services.

The Commission plays a crucial role in providing industry leadership, implementing policies, and initiating programs to bridge the digital divide and bring affordable and reliable broadband connectivity to more Nigerians.

During a forum held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State with licensees, the EVC acknowledged the rapid growth of technology in the telecom industry and the resulting high expectations from stakeholders.

To keep up with industry developments, the NCC has taken measures to improve regulations and adapt to continuous advancements.

Some of the interventions and responses of the Commission include facilitating the rollout of 5G services and introducing the Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) license to bridge the gap in underserved areas.

Furthermore, the NCC is currently reviewing the scope and structure of its existing licenses to accommodate new industry trends and make them more robust.

This is in line with the Nigeria National Broadband Plan (NNBP 2020-2025), which aims to achieve 90% broadband penetration by 2025 and well above 50% by the end of 2023.

Currently, over 150 million Nigerians have access to the internet, while more than 80 million can access high-speed internet.

These numbers demonstrate the progress made in expanding internet connectivity in the country, and the NCC’s efforts aim to increase these figures further