The investment underscores Ubiquity’s commitment to providing diverse offshore solutions for its clients. (Image source: Ubiquity)

Ubiquity, a leading global provider of customer experience, risk and compliance, and digital solutions, has opened a customer experience centre in Accra, Ghana

The facility is aimed at providing multilingual customer support solutions to global clients, primarily serving businesses in the financial services, healthcare, insurance and e-commerce sectors.

Located just minutes from Kotoka International Airport, it offers convenient access for international clients and is expected to unlock more than 500 professional employment opportunities for surrounding communities as per a company commitment.

“The decision to expand our global footprint into Africa comes with immense pride and excitement,” remarked Ubiquity co-founder & president, Sagar Rajgopal. “We are grateful to be a part of the thriving, cosmopolitan city of Accra which is virtually time zone neutral for the UK and EU. We are confident that its highly educated workforce, compassionate people, and favourable business environment can help us provide the best customer support and exceptional value for our partners and their customers.”

“Establishing a strong presence in Africa felt like a natural next step to support our clients with diverse offshore solutions, conducive time zone options and top talent access in a country like Ghana with such a booming economic climate,” Rajgopal added.

“This expansion allows us to enhance our service offerings and deliver even greater value to our clients while contributing to the local economy. We appreciate the warm welcome from the local community and look forward to welcoming many of its residents to our team as we continue to grow our presence here and across the region.”

The Paratus Group has made significant investments in its extensive and diverse fiber network. (Image source: Paratus)

Paratus Group, a pan-African telco, has announced the completion of its East-West Africa fibre route which offers a fast link to anywhere in the world to users from the southern African region

Representing the first coast-to-coast terrestrial route using Paratus built fibre infrastructure, it stretches from Maputo, through Johannesburg, across Botswana and Namibia, and to the West coast at the Cable Landing Station in Swakopmund.

According to Paratus, it offers an alternative terrestrial route and the current demand for this has been expedited by the recent network outages. CEO Schalk Erasmus explained, “This sea-change in imperatives has arisen due to breakages in certain subsea cable systems. Operators need a more reliable route and, with, our new East-West route, by connecting to the Equiano subsea cable, we can assure customers a fast and robust alternative. Our East-West fibre route isn't just a line on a map — it's Africa's digital lifeline.”

Paratus group chief commercial officer, Martin Cox, added, “As a steadfast partner with pan-African expertise, we offer unequalled wholesale capacity solutions for network operators. Because we understand the unique connectivity needs of the various regions, we have tailored our solutions to specific requirements, and we offer carriers and operators not only a diverse East-West route but also onward transmission to Europe.

“Recent undersea cable cuts have shown the importance of robust alternatives and why we've built redundancy into every kilometre, ensuring southern Africa stays connected, no matter what. This isn't just about backup – it's about uninterrupted operations and seamless communications. With Paratus, you're partnering with innovators who are weaving resilience into Africa's digital landscape.”

The system’s flexibility allows for high sublimation rates (>3 kg/m²h) or higher capacity at low vacuum (

GEA, a global leader in food and dairy processing solutions, has launched the RAY Plus series, its next generation batch freeze dryers that aims to provide a more flexible and efficient solution for the food industry

The series offers a cabinet size range of 45m² to 180m², with heating plates in layers of 10, 15, or 20, and condensers on both sides. These cabinets can be combined in groups of up to six, sharing a common control and support system to improve operational efficiency and ensure even load distribution across the production floor.

GEA has also developed a proprietary Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) model that precisely calculates the flow dynamics and pressure losses under deep vacuum within the freeze dryer cabinet, ensuring optimal performance and efficiency. This ensures a nearly 50% reduction in pressure drop compared to previous models.

The new series can be integrated with existing RAY freeze dryers and connected to various cooling and heating solutions. Operating at lower temperatures with higher batch loads, the RAY Plus achieves the same daily capacity with reduced energy consumption.

Additional advantages of the series include cabinets designed for efficient washdown; an intuitive user interface making it easy to operate and offering remote access; and the use of trolleys running on GEA’s proven rail system with 80 mm stainless steel pipes.

Sub-Saharan Africa was the least connected region in 2023. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

The GSMA, a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem, has released its ‘State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2024’ report outlining that 43% of the world population still do not use mobile Internet despite annual increases

According the GSMA, 160mn people started using mobile Internet last year, meaning that 4.6bn people are now using mobile Internet on their own device. This was a similar level to 2022 levels but was a drop from 2015-2021 increases when more than 200mn new users were added per year.

350mn people (4% of the population) live in largely remote areas without mobile Internet on their own device while 3.1bn (39%) live within mobile Internet coverage but do not make use of it. According to the research – that was funded by the UK FCDO and Sida – the biggest challenge remains the usage gap.

Getting these people online would be worth an estimated US$3.5 trillion to the global economy between 2023-2030, and this would largely benefit low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). To achieve this, an estimated US$418bn in investment is needed to build the required infrastructure to achieve universal mobile Internet access.

An unconnected Africa?

Sub-Saharan Africa was the least connected region in 2023, reported the GSMA. Only 27% of the population are using mobile Internet services, leaving a 13% coverage gap and a 60% usage gap.

For unconnected LMICs, the GSMA reports that device affordability and digital skills and literacy are the main barriers to adoption. In such regions, entry-level internet-enabled devices cost 18% of average monthly income. However, in sub-Saharan Africa this rises to 99% of average monthly income for the region’s poorest 20%.

Another challenge can be found in meaningful connectivity. An average of 43% of mobile Internet users in surveyed countries reportedly wanted to use it more. The most commonly reported barriers included safety and security concerns, affordability and connectivity experience.

In addition, one in five mobile Internet subscribers are still making use of 3G smartphones or a feature phone despite the onset of 4G and 5G. In sub-Saharan Africa, this climbs to almost two-thirds of users, a problem that has a limiting effect on the range and depth of online and digital experience among users.

“Despite continued progress in expanding the reach of network infrastructure and in increasing mobile Internet adoption, significant digital divides remain,” commented John Giusti, chief regulatory officer at the GSMA. “Collaboration among governments, international organisations and the mobile industry is essential to addressing barriers such as affordability, digital skills, and awareness of the mobile internet and its benefits. This effort must also focus on investing in local digital ecosystems and ensuring robust online safety frameworks.”

While there is clearly much work that needs to be done on the continent, that is not to say there are not significant efforts being made to connect the population, as exemplified by Nokia’s recent initiative to build a 5G mobile core network.