UphivaBETAR
Browsing Category
Infrastructure
6 posts
Airtel-Starlink Direct-to-Cell in Kenya: The End of the Coverage Excuse
A March 2026 Kenya pilot confirmed that direct-to-cell satellite connectivity works on ordinary smartphones — no hardware needed. BETAR analyses what Airtel and Starlink’s breakthrough means for Africa’s operators, regulators, and tower economics.
Nigeria BRIDGE Fibre Rollout: How the World Bank’s Pay-for-Results Architecture Is Funding Africa’s Biggest Broadband Project
Nigeria’s Project BRIDGE will expand the national fibre backbone from 35,000km to 125,000km. BETAR analyses the $2B funding architecture, ISP commercial case, and the structural barriers that have ended every previous Nigerian infrastructure commitment.
Nigeria BRIDGE Fibre Rollout: How the World Bank’s Pay-for-Results Architecture Is Funding Africa’s Biggest Broadband Project
Nigeria’s Project BRIDGE will expand the national fibre backbone from 35,000km to 125,000km. BETAR analyses the $2B funding architecture, ISP commercial case, and the structural barriers that have ended every previous Nigerian infrastructure commitment.
Nigeria ISP Consolidation: The Legend-Spectranet Merger and the Broadband Endgame
Nigeria has 231 licensed ISPs but only 133 are active. The Legend-Spectranet merger creates the largest ISP on paper. In practice, it is a survival play against satellite disruption, forex pressure, and $2 billion in state-backed fibre infrastructure.
Airtel and Starlink Have Proven Direct-to-Cell Works in Kenya. Now Comes the Hard Part.
Airtel and Starlink’s direct-to-cell trial in Kenya has passed the technical test. The harder question is whether satellite connectivity will translate into meaningful rural coverage gains.
Nigeria’s $2 Billion Fibre Gamble: World Bank Milestones, EU Backing, and the Right-of-Way Problem That Could Derail Africa’s Most Ambitious Broadband Project
Nigeria’s Project BRIDGE will extend the national fibre backbone from 35,000km to 125,000km using $2 billion in milestone-linked financing. The architecture is sound. The barriers — right-of-way, vandalism, power — are not.
