Mobile operator Airtel Africa has inked a deal with telecoms big data analytics firm Mobileum to study mobile subscribers’ travel intentions, patterns and habits.

The deal follows an announcement last week that wholesale carrier services firm BICS is to supply Airtel Africa with roaming ‘bill shock’ prevention technology systems for subscribers.

The deal with Mobileum seemingly builds on the BICS agreement by gaining insights on Airtel Africa subscribers to create tailored travel and roaming experiences for customers. Airtel Africa operates in 17 countries across Africa with a customer base of over 68 million across Africa.

"Airtel is strongly invested in harnessing the power of technology to provide our customers with a better roaming experience. Analytics will help us use the data that we have on our customers, networks and operations to provide us with deeper insights on how we are running our business and how our customers are using our services to help us serve our roaming clients better," said Andre Beyers, chief marketing officer, Airtel Africa.