It’s no secret that telcos across the globe are grappling with how to monetize their 5G networks. But in Africa, only 1% of operators have implemented 5G, which puts them in a unique position to take advantage of new technologies like AI and the public cloud, and apply them to old 2G and 3G networks.
I recently appeared as a guest on the Ali Talks Tech podcast, which focuses on Africa’s changing technical landscape. Host Ali Hussein Kassim and I explored how African telcos can capitalize on using the public cloud with mobile networks and how AI and innovative tools are poised to drive real change across the continent. 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.
The Telco in 20 podcast won 2024 and 2022 Hermes Awards, 2023 and 2022 MarComm Awards, 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.
Africa has a significant advantage because only 1% of telcos on the continent have implemented 5G, with 22% on 4G and 76% still operating 2G and 3G networks. Unlike Western Europe and the United States, where carriers offered unlimited data plans early and can’t monetize network usage effectively, African operators haven’t “let the unlimited genie out of the bottle.” This late adoption means African telcos can leverage modern technologies like AI and public cloud with their existing networks, avoiding the costly mistakes made by operators in developed markets who struggled to achieve ROI on their 5G investments.
DR and Totogi developed a simple converter technology that acts like an electrical plug adapter or conference translator between old 2G networks and modern AWS cloud infrastructure. This allows Zain Sudan’s 1990s-era 2G network to leverage cutting-edge cloud computing power, AI capabilities, and scalable infrastructure without requiring a complete network upgrade. As DR explains, “You’re plugging into 2024 with tech from the ‘90s,” giving operators access to 100,000+ AWS engineers’ expertise and modern tools while maintaining their existing network infrastructure.
The public cloud enables a pay-as-you-grow model that’s perfect for mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) in Nigeria, where over 40 licenses were recently issued. Traditional technology requires millions of dollars upfront when MVNOs don’t have subscribers, leading to high failure rates. Totogi offers a free tier for the first 500M transactions/month, allowing MVNOs to launch their business, test the market, and pay only for advanced features as they grow. This freemium approach—common in SaaS but revolutionary in telco—reduces risk for both MVNOs and the mobile network operators that supply them with connectivity.
Telcos possess incredibly valuable data about how people use their phones, who they call, where they go, and what they do—data that tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Facebook would love to access. However, most telcos store this data across thousands of different databases using legacy technology, making it difficult to create hyper-personalized offers. By moving to public cloud platforms with AI capabilities like AWS SageMaker and Amazon Bedrock, telcos can finally analyze petabytes of data to deliver targeted offers instead of sending irrelevant messages to customers.
Totogi leverages AWS’s existing tools—like SageMaker for machine learning, Bedrock for generative AI, and Pinpoint for personalization—rather than building everything from scratch. This allows rapid product development by assembling AWS’s “LEGO pieces” with telco-specific customization. Unlike traditional vendors that charge millions upfront for perpetual licenses and year-long implementation projects, Totogi offers cloud-based, pay-as-you-grow pricing that lets operators launch quickly, test solutions, and cancel if needed. This modern approach reduces risk and cost while accelerating time-to-market for telco innovation.
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