• Zamani Telecom partners with Hayo to monetise and secure A2P SMS traffic in Niger, targeting fraud, grey routes and revenue leakage.
• The move reflects a wider shift by African operators to tighten control over messaging as demand from OTTs and enterprises grows.
• Tighter A2P enforcement may boost service quality and revenues, but could raise SMS costs for local banks, fintechs and businesses.

Zamani Telecom, formerly Orange Niger, has appointed global digital solutions provider Hayo as its exclusive partner for application-to-person (A2P) SMS monetisation and firewall services, as the operator steps up efforts to protect messaging revenues and improve service reliability. The agreement comes as mobile operators across Africa face mounting losses from grey routes, bypass fraud and unmanaged A2P traffic, at a time when demand for authentication, financial and enterprise messaging from global digital platforms continues to grow.

Zamani Telecom serves more than three million subscribers nationwide, providing mobile, fixed and internet services. Under the partnership, Hayo will deploy an A2P monetisation framework and SMS Firewall on Zamani’s network, designed to identify, monitor, and block fraudulent traffic while ensuring that legitimate A2P messages are delivered via authorised routes and billed in accordance with agreed commercial terms.

According to the two companies, the system will allow Zamani to gain greater visibility over inbound international messaging traffic, reduce revenue leakage and prioritise higher-value enterprise segments. Industry estimates suggest that in some African markets, up to 30 per cent of A2P traffic can bypass official channels, significantly eroding operator revenues and undermining quality of service.

By tightening control over its messaging network, Zamani aims to position itself as a compliant and trusted gateway for global technology companies seeking to deliver A2P SMS services in Niger, particularly for two-factor authentication, mobile payments, e-commerce and public communications. The model is expected to increase the profitability of Zamani’s messaging business while improving delivery reliability for enterprises and end users.

Hayo will also provide ongoing operational support, including daily penetration testing to identify bypass routes, continuous optimisation of firewall rules and artificial intelligence-driven traffic analysis to detect unsolicited or fraudulent messages. Zamani’s technical teams will receive anti-fraud training and consultancy as part of the agreement.

For Zamani, the partnership reflects a broader post-Orange strategy focused on revenue assurance and network integrity as competition intensifies and digital use cases expand. In the wider Nigerien market, tighter enforcement of A2P controls could improve message quality and security. Still, it may also raise costs for local enterprises that have historically relied on informal routing arrangements.

Beyond A2P: growing focus on national mobile security

The agreement also aligns with Hayo’s broader push to deploy its National Mobile Registry (NMR) platform, which aims to support governments and mobile operators in tackling SIM swap fraud, mobile theft and the circulation of non-compliant devices.

SIM swap fraud has emerged as a growing risk globally, particularly in mobile-money-driven markets. At the same time, weak device oversight has allowed stolen or counterfeit handsets to remain active on national networks, contributing to tax leakage and revenue losses. Hayo says its enhanced NMR platform enables real-time monitoring of SIM and device activity, faster detection of abnormal behaviour and stronger enforcement of national regulations through integration with GSMA data and national blocklists.

Launched in mid-2025, the platform is being rolled out in collaboration with regulators, customs authorities, and law enforcement agencies in several markets. In Niger, the Zamani partnership signals a broader shift towards tighter control over mobile traffic and digital infrastructure, as secure and reliable messaging becomes increasingly critical to the country’s financial services, e-commerce, and digital public services.

Mercy Fosoh