Telcos Race to Win Over Africa’s Smartphone Gamers
Mobile operators across Africa are ramping up their play for a share of the continent’s fast-growing gaming market, blending technology, affordability, and homegrown tournaments to win over millions of young gamers.
Conrad Onyango, bird story agency
Mobile operators in Africa are beginning to pay attention to a booming mobile gaming scene, as millions of young people transform eSports from a hobby into a pathway to connection, opportunity, and income.
For Africa’s under 30 years old majority, gaming isn’t just play.
What was once seen as casual fun on smartphones a few years ago is now emerging as a cultural and economic force that blends competition, creativity, and community for young people, according to insiders.
“It’s a platform for the young people to showcase skills, earn money, and connect with peers across borders. Telcos are taking a keen watch at these developments and are beginning to strategically tap into this new growing and seemingly sustainable business,” Justus Omwenga, an esports Enthusiast in Nairobi affirmed to bird in an interview.
Africa has youthful population with over 70% listed as under 30 years of age. For them, phone tech savviness and internet connection are important. These values contribute to the rise of mobile gaming.
A Stears 2025 Research Study, shows the continent has more than 350 million gamers, with 92% playing on smartphones, and the industry generated $1.8 billion in revenue by the close of 2024.
Across Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana, telcommunication companies are leveraging the growth of eSports, largely on smartphones to lock in loyalty, drive data use, and mobile money transactions from the continent’s growing mobile-first customer base.
“You will not miss a bundled promotion either, giving you access to free games or a cheaper daily data plan advertised through short message services, on digital media or social media posts,” said Omwenga.
MTN has been a trailblazer in coming up with innovative mobile gaming offerings over the last three years.
MTN’s latest push into gaming is Cloudplay, a cloud gaming service launched late 2024 in partnership with sports technology firm Telecoming.
The platform lets users stream more than 340 games directly to mobile devices, tablets, and other screens without downloads or consoles, leveraging MTN’s high-speed 5G network for a monthly fee of US $4.37.
In 2023, the telecom giant introduced MTN Arena, an eSports platform in Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa offering competitive tournaments, leaderboards, and prizes.
“MTN Arena is more than just playing games—it’s about winning big. With MTN’s unbeatable gaming deals, every tournament brings you closer to the top, closer to the thrill, and closer to life-changing rewards,” according to a post of MTN’s website.
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MTN has also integrated HTML5 casual games into its Ayoba super app, now with over 30 million active users, allowing play without heavy downloads or data use.
To boost engagement, MTN offers dedicated “Gamer Bundles” with discounted data for partnered titles and streaming platforms, often co-branded with popular publishers and influencers to connect with Africa’s youthful gaming community.
Vodacom South Africa is positioning itself as a digital lifestyle enabler, pairing cloud gaming access with 5G connectivity and offering GameTime bundles that let users stream or download popular titles on Xbox Cloud, Steam, or local platforms without straining their budgets.
Its NXT LVL bundle, according to the company’s website, is “designed to recognise the reality and delivers a solution that speaks directly to under-25s who are heavy data users and whose lifestyles are largely digital.”
“By combining practical data bundles with lifestyle perks and exciting promotions, Vodacom has created more than just a mobile package – they’ve created a digital ecosystem for young South Africans,” said Vodacom.
Vodacom’s headline offer for this customer base is a 25GB Super Content Bundle priced at US$ 3.89 (R69). It is also split into 5GB wallets for general browsing, social media, and late-night sessions, catering to the peak hours when many young people dive into game night tournaments.
In July, MTN and Vodacom ran a campaign on afffordable smartphones in South Africa during the Mandela month as part of campaigns to help subscribers move from 2G and 3G to higher speed 4G internet as the country gears up to sunset 2G and 3G by December 2027.
“By making affordable 4G smartphones available, Vodacom is helping more people fully take part in the digital economy,” said Vodacom’s Chief Enterprise Business Officer, Rishaad Tayob, according to a press release.
During the Mandela month, Vodacom rolled out a 4G smartphone at just US $3.60 (R67), while MTN said it eyes 1.1 million customers with a US $5.35 (R99) smartphone by close of 2026, all these seen as strategies to unlocking mobile gaming for millions.
“As the country transitions to 4G and 5G it is vital to proactively connect as many South Africans as possible,” said MTN South Africa CEO Charles Molapisi.
Kenya’s biggest telco, Safaricom, is banking on gaming to keep its youngest customers plugged in.
Its Hook platform, pitched as a lifestyle and digital engagement hub for customers under 26 years, makes gaming a central draw alongside music, learning, and career tools.
Safaricom’s youth bundles are built around connectivity, entertainment, and career growth, with micro-offers like 1GB a day or “gaming-night” passes giving students and young professionals a low-commitment way to play.
Airtel Africa is using mobile gaming as a lever to drive data consumption and boost revenue per user in gaming-heavy markets.
The telco has rolled out low-cost streaming packages for live games and sporting events, and also operates Games Club, a subscription portal offering unlimited mobile data and rewards gameplay with bonus data or airtime.
In Ethiopia, Ethio Telecom is pushing a hyper-local strategy, after partnering with Qene Games, the Ethiopian studio behind African-themed hits like Gebeta, Kukulu, and Feta in 2022.
Orange Group is also weaving gaming directly into its Max it super app through partnerships with Tencent and a mix of international and local publishers.
In West Africa, the telco’s subsidiary Sonatel has Wido Games, a cloud gaming platform designed to stream high-quality titles without downloads or consoles.
bird story agency
