By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigeria’s pioneering telecoms operator, ntel (formerly NITEL), is eyeing a return from dormancy, with a preliminary target of first quarter of 2026.

According to a report from a tech platform, Technology Times, the return of the telco is underpinned by a strategic N30 billion injection from the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).

Once the dominant pre-GSM era provider with both wireline and mobile services via NITEL and Mtel, the operator fell into prolonged dormancy following the privatization of the Nigerian telecommunications sector.

After NatCom Development & Investment Limited acquired the business for $252.25 million in 2015, ntel struggled to regain traction. Now, AMCON is spearheading a revival, aiming to reintroduce ntel as an asset-light, infrastructure-centric competitor in Nigeria’s telecoms space.

According to the publication, a cornerstone of the revival plan is the appointment of Mr Soji Maurice-Diya, formerly CEO of American Tower Nigeria, to lead the company. He will succeed Mr Adrian Wood, a former chief executive of MTN Nigeria.

At the helm with extensive leadership experience across sectors such as telecom infrastructure (ATC), oil (ExxonMobil), tech (IBM), consulting (EY), and entrepreneurship (as co-founder of Hash App), Mr Maurice-Diya is expected to drive the execution of this turnaround plan.

AMCON’s intervention represents both a financial stabilization effort and a bid to rescue strategic national telecom assets, in line with targets set by President Bola Tinubu.

The telco holds a Unified Access Service licence from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). It is reportedly exploring a cost-efficient Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) model, potentially piggybacking on infrastructure from incumbent operators.

This choice arises from a sobering analysis: fully competing with Nigeria’s top mobile network operators (MTN, Airtel, Glo, and T2/9mobile), which collectively manage over 171 million lines. The telco would require an estimated N7.68 trillion ($5 billion) in capital. Instead, the MVNO approach allows ntel to focus on branding, customer experience, and differentiated services, particularly to youth, fintech, and rural prepaid segments without owning costly infrastructure, the publication analysed.

Despite previous setbacks, ntel retains key assets including spectrum holdings, fibre-optic infrastructure inherited from NITEL, and landing rights on international submarine cables. These which support a broadband-first strategy to help bridge Nigeria’s digital divide.

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

In a bid to provide cost-effective services to more people and deepen digital inclusion in key markets, including Mozambique, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Airtel Africa Plc and Vodacom Group have sealed a strategic infrastructure sharing deal.

It was gathered that the initial partnership focuses on sharing fibre networks and tower infrastructure, to accelerate the roll-out of digital services in these markets, increasing connectivity for customers while reducing operators’ infrastructure costs and improving speed to market.

According to the chief executive of Airtel Africa, Mr Sunil Taldar, “This partnership is aligned with our unwavering commitment to delighting our customers by always making our network available to them even in the remotest locations.”

“Working with Vodacom, we will open greater access to digital and financial opportunities which will transform the lives of our customers while complying with all regulatory requirements,” he added.

He stressed that, “Even as competitors, it has become a business imperative for us to collaborate in the provision of critical infrastructure required to build resilient network with strong capacity to support the emerging digital technologies as well as the growing need for data-enabled products and services.”

“Accelerating the deployment of fibre connectivity is a key enabler in the acceleration of 4G and 5G technologies in Africa to deliver the high-speed, low-latency, and reliable connections needed for modern digital applications.

“This partnership allows for further opportunities for both operators to enhance network performance, extend coverage, and increase mobile, fixed, and financial services leveraging a broader footprint on the continent,” Mr Taldar stated.

His counterpart at Vodacom, Mr Shameel Joosub, said, “Providing connectivity to empower people is at the core of our strategy. Our partnership with Airtel Africa is a proactive step forward in creating a sustainable, inclusive, and connected digital future for the continent.

“Through infrastructure sharing, we can provide cost-effective services to more people, more rapidly, ensuring that no one is left behind in the digital age. As we fulfil our ambition to connect 260 million customers by 2030, the need for scalable and cost-efficient network solutions becomes increasingly significant.

“This partnership provides us with the opportunity to narrow the digital divide, empowering more individuals and communities through digitalisation across the continent. It is aligned with our purpose to connect for a better future.”

The agreement marks a transformative milestone in promoting digital inclusion and expanding access to reliable connectivity across Africa.

By leveraging existing infrastructure, the collaboration aims to deliver improved connectivity, faster internet speeds, and more reliable services. This will not only enhance customer experience but also assist with providing access to digital services for a broader population, particularly those in underserved areas, helping to bridge the digital divide in Africa.

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

Global tech giant, Google, has introduced a new era of AI-powered search to its users in Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa with AI Mode in Search.

This feature is more intuitive, comprehensive, and helpful as it helps users tackle complex, multi-part questions with more intuitive responses, multimodal inputs, and deeper ways to explore topics.

In a statement on Thursday, the platform stated that AI Mode transforms how people interact with Search by allowing them to ask nuanced and exploratory questions that would previously require multiple searches. Powered by a custom version of Google’s latest Gemini 2.5 model, AI Mode brings advanced reasoning and context understanding to Search.

It said the feature is especially useful for longer, more detailed queries. A key feature of AI Mode is its advanced reasoning, which uses a query fan-out technique to break down a user’s question into subtopics and simultaneously search a multitude of queries on their behalf. This allows for a deeper dive into the web, uncovering hyper-relevant content.

Furthermore, AI Mode is designed to be truly multimodal, allowing users to interact in the most natural way for them, whether through text, voice, or even images.

Simply tapping the microphone icon or uploading a photo allows users to ask questions using their voice or camera. A core principle of AI Mode is to help users find the best of the web.

The AI-powered response includes prominent links to web sources, expanding the types of questions people can ask and opening up new opportunities for content discovery.

With AI Mode, web links are prominently displayed, ensuring users can easily click through to discover more. Data from AI Overviews shows that AI-powered results lead users to visit a greater diversity of websites and spend more time engaging with them.

While AI Mode aims to provide a reliable AI-powered response, in cases where confidence is not high, the system will default to a set of traditional web search results.

Google disclosed that the AI Mode would begin rolling out today and will appear as a tab on the Search results page and within the Google app for Android and iOS.

“We’re incredibly excited to bring AI Mode to our users in the region,” the Managing Director for Google Africa, Mr Alex Okosi, said.

“We know that people in this region are curious and have complex questions about everything from planning a trip to understanding a new concept.

“With AI Mode, Google is reimagining the Search experience. Users will not only find the information they need more easily but will also be empowered to explore a wider range of content from across the web,” he added.