The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | MTN Uganda has partnered with Infobip to roll out advanced digital communication tools for businesses, as the telecom operator deepens its shift from a traditional network provider into a technology platform serving enterprise clients.
The partnership gives Ugandan businesses access to an integrated communications platform that combines SMS, WhatsApp, voice, email and chat applications, allowing companies to automate customer support, manage two-way engagement and analyse customer interactions in real time.
The move reflects growing demand from businesses seeking to move beyond bulk messaging into digital customer engagement as competition intensifies across retail, banking, fintech, healthcare and logistics. MTN says the platform is designed to help firms reach customers faster, improve service delivery and expand without building separate systems for each communication channel.
Ibrahim Senyonga, MTN Uganda’s General Manager for Enterprise Business, said the partnership is part of the company’s long-term strategy to reposition itself as a technology player rather than only a telecom operator.
“Digital communication is becoming central to how businesses engage their customers and deliver services. Through our partnership with Infobip, MTN Uganda is strengthening its role as a technology partner to enterprises by providing innovative platforms that help businesses improve customer experiences, increase efficiency and unlock new growth opportunities.”
He said the platform introduces full omnichannel capability, combining WhatsApp, AI-powered chatbots and automated customer conversations under one service layer.
“This partnership is beyond technical. It is more strategic in nature from where we sit. We want that to trickle down to our customers, to drive that transformation, to empower them, to become bigger, to accelerate this 10x program that government is talking about,” Senyonga said.
He argued that stronger digital capability among businesses would help Uganda move toward its broader economic expansion ambitions by improving efficiency and widening tax-paying enterprise activity.
“If our clients become much bigger, that means they can pay more to you in terms of taxes. They can contribute more because to move from $50 billion as a nation to $500 billion, there is a lot of work that has to happen.”
For MTN, the partnership also opens deeper access to regulated sectors such as banking, fintech and government, where compliance standards remain critical. Senyonga said the Infobip platform was selected partly because of its compliance architecture and ability to integrate with highly regulated customer environments.
Infobip’s Global Director for Telecom Strategy and Partnerships, Domenico Devescovi, said Uganda’s young, mobile-first population makes digital engagement increasingly central to how businesses compete.
“We are excited to partner with MTN Uganda to support the digital transformation of business sector in Uganda. By combining MTN’s strong network infrastructure with Infobip’s AI-powered customer engagement technology, businesses across Uganda will be able to connect with customers across multiple channels and create richer, more connected customer experiences.”
A major feature of the rollout is AgentOS, Infobip’s artificial intelligence platform designed to automate customer service journeys, coordinate responses across channels and reduce manual workload inside businesses.
“It allows businesses to automate tasks, personalize customer interactions, and streamline CX management. This launch marks a significant step forward in delivering smarter, more efficient customer engagement at scale,” Devescovi said.
At the enterprise level, MTN says the service will not be sold as a standard off-the-shelf product but adapted to each business depending on sector and digital maturity.
Sophia Mukasa, Senior Manager for Products, Marketing and Partnerships at MTN Business, said many Ugandan firms still operate with fragmented communication systems that separate SMS, voice and social media engagement.
“In practical terms, this partnership enables businesses and organizations of all sizes to communicate more effectively with their customers, with their teams, with their communities, basically with their ecosystem on one platform.”
She said the platform is particularly relevant for traders, SACCOs, healthcare providers and informal businesses that increasingly depend on WhatsApp and mobile communication to manage customers.
“Customers want to be engaged. So if your customers are on WhatsApp, then you have to be on WhatsApp to engage them.”
The partnership comes as Uganda pushes digital transformation under national development targets that place technology at the centre of productivity growth
