• Cassava Technologies and AXON Networks have signed a partnership on network virtualization in Africa.

• The alliance targets cost reduction and faster upgrades from 4G to 5G for operators.

• The project aims to deploy an AI-driven, end-to-end operator-as-a-service platform.

Cassava Technologies and AXON Networks have announced a strategic partnership to develop and deploy a telecom network virtualization platform across Africa. The agreement was unveiled in Cape Town, South Africa, during the Counder 2026 conference held from January 27 to January 29.

Cassava Technologies, a technology group founded by Zimbabwean entrepreneur Strive Masiyiwa, and AXON Networks, a company specializing in software and hardware solutions as well as AI-driven network orchestration, plan to jointly develop, deploy, and manage an end-to-end operator-as-a-service platform. The initiative is designed to support telecom operators and internet service providers as they modernize their networks.

Under the partnership, the two companies will help operators virtualize their networks to improve infrastructure monitoring, reduce outages, optimize performance, and accelerate the transition from 4G to 5G, while keeping operating costs under control.

AXON Networks founder and chief executive Martin Manniche said the partnership combines Cassava’s extensive fiber footprint across Africa with its investments in AI-enabled data centers. He said the goal is to integrate AXON’s operator-as-a-service platform with real-time digital twin technology at continental scale.

Manniche said the initiative goes beyond replicating existing networks. He said the partners are virtualizing entire infrastructures to create an AI-driven operational ecosystem. This ecosystem will rely on large-scale infrastructure, including the AI factory Cassava plans to build, to support growth, economic development, and digital sovereignty in artificial intelligence across Africa.

Managing costs and improving efficiency

The partnership comes as African telecom service providers face rising pressure to manage network-related operating costs. Operators are grappling with rapid technological change, intensifying competition, and growing consumer demand for higher-quality services. Meeting these demands requires sustained investment, which poses risks to business sustainability if not carefully managed.

In its 2022 report “5G in Africa: Realizing the Potential,” the GSMA warned that telecom operators’ operating costs would continue to rise. The industry body urged operators to adopt network deployment solutions that reduce capital and operating expenditure, noting that manual operations would become unmanageable with the added complexity of 5G networks.

Cassava Technologies chief executive Hardy Pemhiwa said the partnership with AXON allows the group to move beyond traditional hardware-focused infrastructure toward a fully programmable, AI-managed network. He said this shift should significantly lower operating costs and improve access for both customers and service providers.

Pemhiwa added that the transformation will allow Cassava to treat its pan-African fiber network as a dynamic digital platform. This, he said, will enable near real-time provisioning and modification of customer networks, instead of processes that currently take days or weeks. He said Cassava aims to go beyond basic connectivity to position itself as a digital transformation partner for its clients.

Muriel Edjo