Last week at the NOVACOM 1-to-1 Telco Summit in Kenya, I connected with fellow podcaster Ali Hussein Kassim, host of Ali Talks Tech, which focuses on Africa’s changing tech landscape. We decided to record a joint episode about Totogi’s recent work with Zain to restore critical mobile services in Sudan after they were knocked out due to the ongoing civil war.
Abdalla Hamid, Director of IT at Zain Sudan, joined us to talk about how Totogi got Zain back up and running in just 18 days thanks to the power of the public cloud. Listen now to hear:
Wanna talk public cloud? Telco execs, set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring.
Ali is a serial entrepreneur and a regular commentator and contributor on all things tech and the policy and regulatory landscape across Africa and beyond. He consults on digital transformation, and serves in leadership roles on public and private sector boards including Africa Fintech Network, Association of Fintechs in Kenya, and Kenya ICT Action Network. He enjoys mentoring and investing in tech entrepreneurs across Africa.
Abdalla Isamaldin Abdalla Hamid is a results-driven professional with 15+ years of experience in project management, business analysis, and digital transformation. As Director of Information Technology (IT), he aligns IT strategy with business goals and oversees IT operations. Abdalla’s expertise encompasses BSS, project and program management, software development, automation, IT infrastructure and digital transformation. He holds an MBA and certifications in project management and service engineering.
The Telco in 20 podcast won 2022 and 2023 MarComm Awards, a 2022 Gold Hermes Award, and was recognized as a TeckNexus Top 12 Telco and Tech Podcast, Forrester Top 100 Channel Podcast, and Feedspot Top 10 Telecom Podcast. If you enjoy the podcast, would you leave us a short review? It takes you seconds to do in your app and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. And I love reading your feedback and reviews!
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Set up a meeting with our team to learn how to tap the immense business value it can bring.
In early February 2024, Zain Sudan lost power to all its data centers due to attacks related to the ongoing civil war in the country. This resulted in a complete 40-day outage where subscribers had no access to voice, data, SMS, or any telecommunications services. The outage created a humanitarian crisis, preventing people from contacting families, sending money, or accessing essential services. Zain lost over $10 million per week in revenue during the outage before partnering with Totogi to restore services.
Totogi deployed its Charging-as-a-Service (CaaS) solution in just 18 days—a process that typically takes incumbent vendors 6-18 months. This was possible because Totogi operates entirely on public cloud infrastructure, eliminating the need to ship hardware, send technical teams to hazardous locations, or manage on-premise data centers. The deployment required only network connectivity, which took days rather than months, and leveraged Totogi’s global remote team working around the clock across multiple time zones.
Totogi provides rating and charging services—the systems that determine how much customers pay for telecom services. Unlike traditional vendors, Totogi’s solution runs entirely on public cloud platforms like AWS, similar to how Salesforce operates. Operators simply log in and start using the platform without massive upfront hardware investments or lengthy deployments. The system includes open APIs that allow telcos to build their own applications and customize services, making it more flexible than traditional “walled garden” approaches.
DR and her team at Totogi typically deliver 70-80% lower total cost of ownership (TCO) compared to incumbent vendors. This dramatic savings comes from eliminating hardware costs, data center fees, and extensive on-site personnel requirements. For African operators facing lower ARPU and tight budgets, this cost reduction is transformational. Additionally, operators gain access to the world’s most advanced chips and infrastructure through public cloud providers without purchasing expensive hardware.
Yes! Despite common misconceptions that legacy networks can’t support cutting-edge technology, Totogi is proving that 2G networks can leverage the latest AI capabilities and is working with Zain Sudan to implement AI-driven features like intercepting moments when subscribers lack sufficient balance, sending dynamic personalized offers via text, and creating custom plans based on individual wallet amounts. This demonstrates how public cloud technology enables even decades-old infrastructure to benefit from modern innovations.
Danielle Rios founded Totogi after observing that telco technology was stuck in 1990s-era deployment practices despite waves of innovation in virtualization, cloud, and AI. Her solutions treat telecom software like modern SaaS platforms—constantly running, automatically upgraded, and accessible without massive projects or upfront investments. For just one penny, operators can log in and begin using the platform. This approach, combined with a partnership mentality rather than old-school vendor-buyer relationships, have enabled Totogi to transform how telcos deploy and manage critical charging systems.
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