Frank Eleanya

Lagos

Writer at Freelance

Senior Reporter at TechCabal

Senior reporter at @techcabal 🥷 ex-BusinessDay. coverage areas: Telecom, Big Tech, Infrastructure, and Business.

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Articles

IXPN wants to fix Nigeria's internet border problem by 2030

5 days ago | techcabal.com | Frank Eleanya

In 2006, a request from a computer in Lagos to another computer in Abuja took a bizarre and expensive detour to the US or even the UK. Nigerian data didn’t stay in Nigeria; in fact, only 0.01% of Nigeria’s internet traffic remained within its borders. The result was slower load times, higher costs, and a fragile digital infrastructure. That’s the problem the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) has been trying to solve for nearly two decades; it’s working.
Equinix wants to enable, not compete, in Nigeria’s telecom market

5 days ago | techcabal.com | Frank Eleanya

On June 20, 2025—eight months after completing its $320 million acquisition and integration of MainOne, Nigeria’s pioneering private submarine cable operator—Equinix hosted its first community meeting with key players in Nigeria’s digital network and infrastructure ecosystem. More than a meet-and-greet, the event was an occasion for the company to make known its post-acquisition play in Africa.
MTN, Airtel begin deduction of USSD charges from airtime

1 week ago | techcabal.com | Frank Eleanya

Nigerian telecom operators have officially begun migrating banks to a new billing system that allows customers to make short codes or Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) transactions directly from their airtime balance. In the past, banks deducted USSD fees from customers’ bank accounts but often failed to remit payments to telecom providers. The new billing comes into place following the payment of a long-standing ₦180 billion debt owed by 13 banks to operators.
In Benue, fragile infrastructure makes an unsafe state even deadlier

1 week ago | techcabal.com | Frank Eleanya

On the night of June 13, 2025, nearly 200 residents of Yelwata, a rural community in Benue State, were slaughtered in their sleep. Terrorists armed with machetes and fuel stormed homes, setting them ablaze in a brutal attack that unfolded without warning.
Airtel’s SmartCash partners Leadway to bypass insurance limitations

1 week ago | techcabal.com | Frank Eleanya

SmartCash Payment Service Bank (PSB), a subsidiary of Airtel Nigeria, has partnered with Leadway Assurance to offer mobile-based car insurance services. This marks a strategic shift for SmartCash PSB as it seeks new ways to grow within the constraints of its payment service banking licence.
One year on, Nigeria’s telecom protection law fails to stop fibre cuts

2 weeks ago | techcabal.com | Frank Eleanya

In June 2024, Nigeria signed the Designation and Protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure Order (CNII), which classifies telecom infrastructure, such as fibre cables, data centres, and towers, as critical national assets and makes their protection a matter of national security. However, one year on, Nigeria is seeing record levels of fibre cuts and network disruptions, raising questions about the policy’s implementation.
A new U.S.-Nigeria trade deal could unlock more investment for Nigerian startups

2 weeks ago | bilaterals.org | Frank Eleanya

Negotiations Africa Techcabal, 06 June 2025By Frank EleanyaA new U.S.-Nigeria trade deal could unlock more investment for Nigerian startupsA new U.S.-Nigeria Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) may offer a lifeline to the country’s startup ecosystem amid a global funding slowdown.
New USSD billing model gives Nigerians more control over charges

2 weeks ago | techcabal.com | Frank Eleanya

Nigeria’s Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank (CBN) have approved a new End User Billing (EUB) model for USSD services. The decision means USSD charges will be deducted directly from the airtime balance, ending years of financial disputes between telecom operators and commercial banks. For Nigeria’s telecom and digital finance ecosystem, it is a long-awaited resolution to a conflict that has disrupted services and stalled industry progress for nearly half a decade.
Why telcos will now deduct USSD charges from your airtime

2 weeks ago | techcabal.com | Frank Eleanya

Starting later this June, a new guideline proposed by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will charge mobile airtime balances instead of customers’ bank accounts for Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) sessions. This change marks the latest development in a years-long standoff between telecom operators and banks over who should bear the cost of USSD transactions—a dispute that has left over ₦160 billion ($106.67 million) in unpaid fees hanging in the balance.
Inside Itana, Nigeria’s first digital free zone

2 weeks ago | techcabal.com | Frank Eleanya

Itana, Nigeria’s—and Africa’s—first fully digital free zone, located in Alaro City within Lagos State’s Lekki Free Zone corridor, is reimagining the concept of special economic zones by shifting the focus from manufacturing to services, technology, and innovation. At its core, Itana is a response to the urgent need to modernise how Nigeria and Africa enable business growth in a global digital economy.