Alain Maupin, vice president and head of customer unit for East and North Africa at Ericsson. (Photo: GSMA)
increasing demand for digital Services and data-intensive connectivity are accelerating network modernization across Africa, with mobile operators increasingly investing in 4G, 5G and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered infrastructure to support future growth.
According to Ericsson, African telecoms operators are rapidly developing their networks to meet growing broadband demand, improve operational efficiency and unlock new opportunities. digital revenue streams.
Alain Maupin, vice president and head of customer unit for East and North Africa at Ericsson, told ITWeb Africa that operators including Vodacom, Econet and Airtel are already rolling out 5G services in parts of the continent.
Ericsson, a leading supplier of telecoms network equipment and digital infrastructure solutions, operates in markets including Zimbabwe, South Africa, Uganda, Angola, Senegal and Morocco.
Maupin said operators are increasingly using 5G technology to expand broadband coverage through fixed wireless access, as well as increase network capacity in densely populated urban areas.
The company has supported network modernization projects for operators such as MTN in Rwanda and Econet in Zimbabwe.
According to Maupin, telecoms operators across Africa are now developing their core networks through cloud-native deployments, upgrading radio access and transport infrastructure, and preparing systems for future high capacity data demands.
AI is also emerging as a key driver of telecommunications transformation on the continent.
Maupin said AI and automation Technologies are helping operators manage increasingly complex networks while improving efficiency and reducing operating costs.
“Automation is providing faster defect resolution, better service quality and lower operating costs,” he said. “AI is becoming deeply embedded in the African telecommunications ecosystem and is being applied in areas such as traffic forecasting, anomaly detection and energy optimization.”
As operators continue to invest in automation and digital transformation, Ericsson said telcos are prioritizing technologies capable of generating new revenue streams beyond traditional voice services.
These include enterprise connectivity, private networks and digital services platforms, with mobile data increasingly becoming the primary revenue driver for many operators.
The evolution of telecom networks is leading to the widespread adoption of application programming interfaces (APIs), enabling operators to collaborate more effectively with third-party developers and digital service providers.
Safaricom has been a pioneer in this area through its public API platform Daraja for M-PESA integration.
In South Africa, Vodacom is using the GSMA Open Gateway API initiative to combat fraud and verify SIM swaps.
Meanwhile, MTN operates Chainosys, a marketplace that gives developers and businesses access to fintech, e-health and e-commerce APIs.
Despite growing momentum around AI, automation and 5G adoption, African telecom operators face major structural and economic challenges.
Spectrum availability, high licensing costs and device affordability remain significant barriers to widespread network usage and high revenue growth in many markets.
Countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe have faced criticism over expensive licensing structures, while operators in markets such as Egypt and Tanzania are struggling with high spectrum allocation costs.
In some regions, operators are also being forced to increase investment in renewable energy infrastructure to compensate for unstable power supplies and rising operating costs.