NEWS
Ericsson and Orange Maroc announce private 5G collaboration to boost enterprise business in Morocco
Ericsson and Orange Maroc have announced a strategic partnership to co-develop and promote private 5G network solutions for the enterprise sector in Morocco.
The announcement, made at GITEX Africa 2026, responds to the rapid digitalisation of Moroccan industries and the emergence of new connectivity needs for automation, IoT and digitalised operations, in line with the ambitions of Morocco Digital Strategy 2030.
This partnership comes as Moroccan companies increasingly require advanced, secure and reliable connectivity to drive their Digital Transformation agendas. The collaboration aims to define and structure a catalogue of solutions targeting key industrial use cases, particularly in smart logistics, utilities, energy and smart territories.
It also aims to support resilient and secure connectivity for critical infrastructures such as mining, ports, utilities and other strategic sectors. It will strengthen Orange Maroc’ s position as an integrated ICT operator capable of offering comprehensive solutions that combine connectivity with cloud, Edge Computing and security.
As part of the agreement, Ericsson will provide a complete private 5G network platform, including its advanced radio and 5G core technologies. This platform will be deployed in Orange Maroc’ s 5G Lab, creating a powerful environment for demonstration and experimentation. The lab will serve as a structuring lever to develop a rich catalogue of B2B use cases, allowing Moroccan companies to test and validate solutions and discover the benefits of 5G in improving productivity and optimising operational costs.
Vodacom calls for collective action to decarbonise Africa’ s digital economy
Vodacom Group has released a new whitepaper, titled Decarbonising Africa’ s ICT Sector.
The report contributes insights into one of Africa’ s fastest growing sectors, where expanding digital and network infrastructure brings growing energy demands and is navigating the complexities of decarbonisation while continuing to support economic and social development.
“ Decarbonisation in Africa cannot be approached in isolation or through a single sector lens,” said Ayman Essam, Chief Officer: External Affairs, Vodacom Group.“ While we have set an ambition to work towards net zero emissions, progress depends on systemic change across the energy ecosystem. This includes policies that enable private sector participation, new financing models and partnerships that can scale renewable energy solutions beyond individual organisations.”
The research highlights that while Africa remains highly vulnerable to climate change, it faces critical energy challenges that hamper decarbonisation efforts. Weak grid infrastructure, financial constraints within utilities, complex regulatory environments and unreliable electricity supply continue to slow the adoption of renewable energy across the continent. This has led many sectors, including telecommunications, to rely heavily on carbon-intensive diesel generators to power operations.
To address these barriers, the whitepaper outlines several practical solutions that could help accelerate decarbonisation across the ICT sector. These include energy sector reforms that enable greater private sector participation, renewable energy procurement mechanisms such as power purchase agreements( PPAs) and the expansion of decentralised energy solutions, including mini-grids, to power remote mobile network base stations.
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