Stacuity and iONLINE at AfricaCom 2025: Bringing Agility and Edge Innovation to Africa’s IoT and Mobile Networks

Agility as a Strategic Advantage

Agility surfaced as a transformative force rather than a technical preference. Farquharson drew attention to a major obstacle faced by many enterprises: the long timelines associated with implementing mobile connectivity solutions. He explained that conventional operators often require up to a year to complete deployments for large-scale enterprise needs. In contrast, iONLINE can deliver the same outcomes in two weeks through its partnership with Stacuity.

This uplift in speed does more than shorten project timelines. It gives businesses the flexibility to respond to fast-changing environments, launch products sooner, and resolve issues before they escalate. Enterprises operating in logistics, fintech, energy, manufacturing, and remote field operations rely heavily on time-sensitive connectivity. For them, accelerated deployment becomes a direct enabler of growth, resilience, and competitiveness. 

“So we’re incredibly agile with what we’ve got. Normal normal operators would take eight to nine months, sometimes 12 months to deploy what we can do in two weeks. So that enables the economy, enables growth, so countries around the world will be able to grow faster because of the agility we bring.”
– David Farquharson, CEO, iONLINE 

Farquharson noted that agility is becoming a baseline expectation. Enterprises want connectivity solutions that evolve with them rather than hold them back. This shift is encouraging a new wave of innovation, and iONLINE is positioning itself at the forefront of that movement.

A New Standard for Network Control

Freeman expanded on how Stacuity’s architecture is unlocking a new era of control and transparency for enterprise customers. For years, enterprises have had to rely on operators to troubleshoot their connectivity networks. This lack of visibility created delays, inefficiencies, and unexpected costs.

By separating the control plane from the user plane, Stacuity hands the reins back to the enterprise. Through a single intelligent interface, organisations can now monitor traffic, manage device behaviour, detect anomalies, and resolve problems in real time. This capability is especially critical for IoT deployments, where a single malfunctioning device can affect operations across an entire network.

Freeman highlighted that this programmable model is not only technologically advanced but also grounded in practicality. Enterprises are empowered to understand their networks at a granular level and make informed decisions instantly. This leads to better uptime, stronger performance, and a clearer path to scaling IoT initiatives without the fear of network blind spots. 

“So I think visibility is another key thing in IoT, particularly where the customer has 100,000 smart meters that all wake up at 6 a.m. and none of them are connecting for some reason. Normally, you would have to wait two weeks to schedule a call with a local operator to do a packet trace. In the platform we provide to iONLINE, you can click a button and see what’s going on across the whole estate yourself, or iONLINE can do it for you as a managed service. That’s part of what we do—bringing decentralized control with agility and distribution, providing that local experience globally. “

– John Freeman, CEO, Stacuity 

As global markets tighten their regulatory frameworks, enterprises must navigate a complex landscape of data privacy laws, especially when operating across multiple jurisdictions. Farquharson spoke at length about iONLINE’s commitment to ensuring customers remain compliant wherever they operate.

Through local breakouts, iONLINE and Stacuity ensure that data is processed within the borders where it originates. This approach not only satisfies regulatory requirements but also improves latency, security, and reliability. It reinforces the trust enterprises expect when choosing a connectivity partner.

Data sovereignty has become a central pillar in the modern connectivity discussion. Businesses want assurance that their information is safe, traceable, and in full alignment with local laws. Through this partnership, customers no longer need to choose between high performance and regulatory compliance. They get both.

A Shared Vision Built on Customer Needs

One of the strongest threads running through the conversation was a shared belief in customer-led innovation. Both Farquharson and Freeman stressed that their work is guided by the real challenges enterprises face, whether it is operational inefficiency, regulatory pressure, or the need for mission-critical reliability.

Their partnership reflects a broader industry trend toward more collaborative and flexible network models. Instead of relying on monolithic systems that restrict control and limit adaptability, iONLINE and Stacuity are championing a model where enterprises have the capability to design, manage, and optimize their network experiences.

This joint approach is already proving transformational for customers needing secure global connectivity in sectors such as smart agriculture, logistics, fleet operations, mining, utilities, and fintech. In these industries, the smallest gains in efficiency translate to major business impact. 

Africa’s Complex but Promising Connectivity Landscape

When discussing Africa’s role in their expansion, both acknowledged the continent’s challenges as well as its immense potential. Freeman described Africa as a region full of opportunity but requiring deep local expertise to navigate regulatory frameworks, political complexities, and fragmented infrastructure. This is where iONLINE’s regional strength becomes invaluable.

Farquharson noted that resilience remains one of Africa’s most pressing needs. Frequent power shortages and network instability can disrupt critical systems such as municipal water management, smart traffic lights, security networks, and public safety infrastructure. Their multi-carrier switching model ensures continuity even when one network experiences failure, making it possible for essential services to remain online.

Both leaders view Africa not only as a strategic market but as a proving ground for solutions that can thrive under some of the world’s most demanding conditions.

A Global Vision with Local Precision

Looking ahead, Stacuity is expanding its global footprint, with rollouts underway in Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Sydney, and an additional U.S. site. Freeman described a vision of a truly global, distributed architecture in which enterprises experience locally optimized performance no matter where they operate.

He likened their approach to that of a global financial institution: worldwide reach combined with tailored local experiences. This philosophy underpins both companies’ strategies as they continue to align their technologies and expand their capabilities.