NAIROBI,Kenya-Airtel Africa has entered a multi-year, multi-million dollar strategic partnership with Xtelify, the digital arm of Airtel India, in a move aimed at revolutionizing its digital operations across 14 African countries.
Under the agreement, Airtel Africa will adopt Xtelify’s newly launched AI-powered software suite, including Data Engine, Work, and IQ, to drive operational efficiency, enhance customer experience, and tackle industry-wide challenges like fraud and spam.
Xtelify’s digital tools are designed to streamline the telecom value chain by providing a unified data engine for real-time intelligence, a workforce platform to coordinate field operations, and a customer experience platform to support seamless service delivery.
The deployment will enable Airtel Africa’s 150,000-member field workforce to access actionable insights for localized market strategies.
It will also bolster digital engagement with customers, ensuring personalized and secure interactions across multiple channels.
“This partnership marks a transformative leap in our mission to build Africa’s digital future,” said Jacques Barkhuizen, Group Chief Information Officer, Airtel Africa.
“By harnessing Airtel’s AI platforms that have proven scale in India, we are not only simplifying our operations but also accelerating hyper-personalized experiences for our customers. In addition, this is Airtel leveraging Airtel – a powerful synergy that will drive sustainable growth, innovation, and unmatched value across our 14 African markets.”
Xtelify’s cloud-native platform is being positioned as a game-changer in telecom digitization.
While originally built to handle 140 crore transactions per minute for Airtel India, the platform dubbed Airtel Cloud is now being extended to enterprise clients in India, with no clear plans yet for expansion to Africa.
“We are thrilled to partner with Airtel Africa,” said Binod Srivastava, Chief Business Officer Global Business, Bharti Airtel.
“By combining our innovative Xtelify platform with Airtel Africa’s vision, we will drive their digital transformation and address industry’s most complex challenges like fighting spam and fraud to ensure utmost customer protection.”
The deal signals a growing push by Airtel Africa to harness in-house technology and AI to lead in customer service delivery and network innovation.
