Africa’s telecommunications giant, MTN Group, has teamed up with tech powerhouse Meta to improve the quality and stability of real-time voice and video calls on applications like WhatsApp across 12 MTN markets, starting from Nigeria.
The initiative focuses on enhancing the interaction between mobile networks and real-time calling applications by leveraging application-aware networks and network-aware applications.
The partnership marks a significant shift in the relationship between telecom operators and Over-the-Top (OTT) players in Africa, where telecom operators often complain that OTT companies like Meta are chipping away their revenue from voice calls as many subscribers shift to internet calls as opposed to regular calls on their networks.
MTN and Meta alliance
MTN disclosed in a statement that the journey of its partnership with Meta started at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024, after which technical teams from both companies started working closely to identify areas of improvement, using advanced data analytics and rigorous testing to deploy optimised solutions.
According to the company, these interventions are now beginning to yield measurable improvements in call performance and network efficiency.
Commenting on the initiative, Chief Technical Officer at MTN Nigeria, Yahaya Ibrahim, said: “We’re pleased with the remarkable improvement in our real-time communication services, reflecting our commitment to innovative customer solutions.”
Meta’s Head of Network Ecosystems Engineering, Diego Marí, echoed this sentiment, stating:
“The collaboration allows us to deploy advanced solutions for an unparalleled real-time experience in Nigeria and showcases our dedication to elevating service quality and improving user experience, while striving for continued efficiency in traffic delivery.”
- The broader partnership will roll out across 11 additional MTN markets in the coming months, with both companies committed to scaling the initiative for long-term impact.
- This development marks a strategic step in improving digital connectivity and service delivery across Africa, aligning with MTN’s broader mission to lead digital solutions for Africa’s progress.
What you should know
Before now, telecommunications operators, especially in Nigeria, had been complaining about the operations of Over-the-Top (OTT) platforms like WhatsApp, Messenger, among others.
- The argument had been that telecom subscribers were no longer making regular voice calls on the networks as they embraced OTT calls, leading to a loss of voice revenue.
- However, the telcos in the recent past have seen surge in their data revenue, a development that shows that they are now benefitting from the surge in the use of platforms like WhatsApp for voice and video calls.
- Indeed, for MTN Nigeria, data revenue has overtaken voice revenue as subscribers consume more data, thus, the partnership with Meta will solidify the data revenue growth trajectory for the company.
