Smart city technology markets set for rapid growth as cities prioritise operational outcomes
12 February 2026
Berg Insight has released the latest edition of its comprehensive smart city technology report, comprising in-depth studies of five key technology areas: smart street lighting, smart parking, smart waste collection, urban air quality monitoring and smart city surveillance.
In 2024, the global installed base excluding China of individually controlled smart street lights amounted to 27.9 million units. The corresponding figures for the smart waste and smart parking sensor technology markets were at the same time 1.56 million and 1.47 million units respectively. Smart parking sensors refers to in-ground or surface-mounted parking occupancy detection sensors whilst smart waste sensor technology consists of fill-level sensor devices that may either be pre-integrated into bins and containers, for example as a smart bin offering, or retrofitted on existing collection points.
Find out more Ethiopia launches first ever smart police station
11 February 2026
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed officially inaugurated Ethiopia’s first smart police station on Monday, February 9, marking a significant step toward digitalizing law enforcement.
Unlike traditional stations, this facility operates without officers on-site, leveraging technology to provide citizens with faster, more accessible police services.
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MTN targets fintech and fibre to build Africa’s digital platform ecosystem
11 February 2026
MTN Group is shifting toward platform-driven growth across Africa, focusing on acquiring startups in payments, lending, and remittances to deepen its digital ecosystem. This strategic move signifies a move away from isolated startups toward integrated platforms serving millions.
According to Semafor, MTN is actively pursuing fintech acquisitions to bolster its rapidly expanding digital finance services, which already support payments, merchant transactions, airtime lending, and cross-border remittances across more than 10 markets. Valued at around $5.2 billion, MTN’s fintech platform surpasses many African unicorns, reflecting its dominance in mobile money and digital finance.
Find out more Zamani Telecom and Hayo to boost A2P SMS revenue and combat fraud in Niger
05 February 2026
Zamani Telecom has selected Hayo as its exclusive partner to enhance its application-to-person (A2P) monetization and SMS firewall capabilities. This strategic collaboration aims to improve traffic management, reduce fraud, and increase profitability for the telecom operator’s A2P SMS business.
Under the partnership, Hayo will conduct testing and analysis to identify and prevent fraud across Zamani’s traffic, originally operated by Orange Niger. The goal is to build a more sustainable and trustworthy A2P SMS ecosystem. Additionally, Hayo will implement innovative pricing strategies designed to increase overall traffic volumes and prioritize high-value over-the-top (OTT) segments, ensuring a better revenue model for Zamani.
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