DATA SOVEREIGNTY

Data sovereignty and the MNO

04 November 2024

Africa’s hunger for new data centres is well established; but what does the influx of new facilities, players and capacity mean for the continent’s MNOs?

It’s a simple, inarguable statement of truth: “Africa most definitely needs more data centres,” asserts Wojtek Piorko, managing director, Africa at Vertiv. “If you apply simple mathematics to the question, the answer is clear: we have around 300MW of whitespace in Africa, similar to that of Italy, but for an entire continent. Comparatively, while Africa’s population is around 1.4 billion, Italy’s is just 60 million. In addition, Africa has a young, data-hungry population – with more than 60% below 25 years old. The continent is also going through a wave of digitalisation, with dynamic investments from abroad and a lot of government-drive local ones.”

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POWER

Powering Africa’s communications networks

07 October 2024

How big an impact is unreliable energy having on Africa’s wireless communications services – and are renewables the answer?

Energy disruptions are having a significant impact on Africa’s wireless communications sector – and given that consistent energy is essential to maintaining operations, this issue is critical.

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CONNECTIVITY

Meaningful connectivity for every African

05 September 2024

The African continent continues to advance along the path towards offering truly meaningful connectivity for every inhabitant…

What is meaningful connectivity?

For a long time, we’ve been talking about connecting continents, bridging the digital divide, and so on. However, truly meaningful connectivity encompasses so much more than just the physical or digital connection between individuals or entities; it implies a deeper, purposeful interaction that adds value, fosters understanding, and cultivates relationships.

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satellite

Mega-constellations - the answer to connecting Africa?

07 August 2024

As Africa begins to see the first services rolled out from mega-constellations of LEO satellites, what are the impacts for users, the economy, and the connectivity ecosystem?

In the not-so-distant past, satellite connectivity was seen as a solution primarily for governments, military, and enterprises due to its high cost and specialised infrastructure requirements. However, recent advancements in satellite technology are changing this view, bringing it within reach of a wider audience for the first time.

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