MTN Group completes Azure migration for enterprise analytics infrastructure across South African operations

Telco processes 22 billion daily records on cloud platform running 800 analytics workflows, positioning deployment as largest telecommunications cloud implementation in MEA region

Nikos Angelopoulos, MTN Group chief information officer.

MTN Group, Africa's largest telecommunications operator by subscriber count, has transitioned its Enterprise Value Analytics infrastructure in South Africa to Microsoft Azure cloud services, completing a modernization initiative for data processing systems supporting customer experience and operational management.

The company announced that the cloud-native EVA 3.0 platform delivers enhanced data processing velocity and security capabilities compared to predecessor systems, enabling faster analysis and response cycles for service performance monitoring and customer trend identification.

According to MTN, the upgraded infrastructure represents the largest telecommunications cloud deployment across the Middle East and Africa region. The platform handles approximately 22 billion records daily while executing more than 800 analytics workflows drawing from over 1,700 distinct data feeds supporting network operations and customer service functions.

EVA 3.0 architecture utilizes Azure Databricks for data processing and analytics workloads, with Microsoft Defender providing security monitoring and threat detection. MTN reported substantial processing speed improvements compared to the previous platform generation, though specific performance metrics were not disclosed.

The enhanced processing capacity enables real-time analytics applications that provide earlier visibility into network performance issues and customer behavior patterns. This reduced latency between data collection and actionable insights allows operational teams to accelerate issue resolution, develop targeted service offerings, and maintain service quality standards, according to the company.

"Our customers expect reliability, relevance, and responsiveness in every interaction with us; understanding our vast amounts of data and extracting meaningful insights in a timely manner has always been central to how we deliver that experience," said Nikos Angelopoulos, MTN Group chief information officer. "With EVA 3.0, we're expanding those capabilities; analysing information more quickly, applying intelligence more effectively, and safeguarding it through cloud security. Working with Microsoft, we've built a resilient platform that supports responsible AI and ensures we continue to meet the evolving needs of our customers."

The migration to cloud infrastructure reflects broader industry movement among telecommunications operators toward hyperscale cloud platforms for analytics workloads. Traditional on-premises data processing systems require substantial capital investment in hardware infrastructure and face scalability constraints as data volumes increase. Cloud platforms offer elastic capacity that scales with demand while converting capital expenditure to operational expense models.

For telecommunications operators managing massive subscriber bases, data analytics platforms serve multiple functions including network performance monitoring, customer churn prediction, service usage pattern analysis, fraud detection, and personalized marketing campaign targeting. Processing delays in these systems directly impact operational responsiveness and revenue optimization capabilities.

MTN's daily processing volume of 22 billion records illustrates the data intensity of modern telecommunications operations. This volume encompasses call detail records, network performance telemetry, customer service interactions, billing transactions, and application usage data across mobile, fixed-line, and data services. Analyzing this information in near-real-time requires substantial computational resources and sophisticated data pipeline architectures.

Azure Databricks provides unified analytics platform combining data warehousing, machine learning, and business intelligence capabilities. The platform's architecture supports both batch processing for historical analysis and streaming analytics for real-time monitoring, addressing diverse use cases within telecommunications operations.

Microsoft Defender integration addresses security requirements for telecommunications data, which includes sensitive customer information subject to privacy regulations and competitive intelligence regarding network performance and service offerings. Cloud security considerations for telecommunications operators extend beyond standard enterprise requirements due to regulatory obligations and the critical infrastructure nature of communications networks.

Rick Lievano, Microsoft's Worldwide chief technology officer for telecommunications, indicated that artificial intelligence and big data analytics have become central to telecommunications sector transformation. These technologies enable network optimization for efficiency and resilience, development of revenue streams beyond traditional connectivity services, and enhanced customer experiences through personalization and predictive service capabilities.

The emphasis on "responsible AI deployment" in MTN's announcement reflects growing focus on governance frameworks for artificial intelligence applications in telecommunications. Responsible AI considerations include algorithmic bias mitigation in customer service applications, transparency in automated decision-making affecting customers, data privacy protection in machine learning systems, and regulatory compliance as AI governance frameworks evolve globally.

MTN Group operates across 19 African and Middle Eastern markets serving over 280 million subscribers. The scale of its operations generates data volumes requiring cloud-scale processing infrastructure. South Africa represents MTN's home market and typically serves as deployment location for new technologies before expansion to other operating companies across the group's footprint.

The completion of this migration positions MTN to deploy advanced analytics and AI applications across customer service, network management, and business intelligence functions with greater agility than legacy infrastructure permitted. Cloud platforms enable rapid deployment of new analytical models and machine learning applications without hardware procurement delays associated with on-premises expansion.