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 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.”
Before now, telecommunications operators, especially in Nigeria, had been complaining about the operations of Over-the-Top (OTT) platforms like WhatsApp, Messenger, among others.