What three years of telecom Data Monetization looks like

Three years of development

The first year was devoted to testing the viability of the model. afina began with a small group of mobile operators willing to test whether the monetisation of subscriber data could work without raw data leaving the network. It turned out that it could, and the first pilot projects confirmed this.

The second year was devoted to scaling up and building trust. afina 2.0 was launched, processing over two million messages per second in real time. Two patents were filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and the first international recognition followed: a Gold Stevie for Startup of the Year at the International Business Awards, Gold for Best Telco Newcomer at the Antonio Meucci Awards, Best New Market Entrant at the CC-Global Awards, and a Silver award for Startup Achievement of the Year at the Globee Business Awards.

In its third year, the platform evolved into infrastructure. afina now serves markets across MENA, APAC, LATAM, Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe, with more than 4,000 active offers running in over 35 countries. Certification to ISO/IEC 27001:2022 was achieved without a single non-conformity. The certificate, issued by LL-C (Certification), covers the development, implementation, maintenance and technical support of the afina software platform, including the DMP, CLP, Core Platform services, Clean Room capabilities and B2B/MNO data-exchange services, for deployment in cloud and customer environments.

Recognition also became more specific to what the platform does: AI-based Monetization Platform of the Year 2025 from CIO Review, A2P SMS Monetization of the Year in the UAE at the Asian Telecom Awards 2025, Gold for AI Product Launch at the Globee Awards for AI, and Silver in the Artificial Intelligence category at The Noble Awards 2025.

What we’ve learnt

Three patterns emerge in every implementation. A phased rollout across verticals yields better results than launching everything at once, as each stage sets the direction for the next. Machine learning handles the workload of segmentation and synchronisation, which in-house teams cannot scale manually. And privacy compliance that is built into the architecture, rather than added as an afterthought, removes the objections that stall most data partnerships before they even begin.

What the next chapter will look like

Since 2023, the market has changed significantly. Third-party identifiers continue to lose value, network APIs are becoming the standard commercial layer, and operators who got a head start are setting the terms that later market entrants will have to adhere to. Monetising subscriber data has become a matter of speed of implementation, rather than feasibility.

For operators deciding where to start, the infrastructure is already in place, the compliance framework exists, and demand for first-party data obtained with user consent continues to grow as alternative signals lose their significance.

All that remains is to make a commercial decision on which revenue stream to prioritise.

To mark the anniversary, operators who book an introductory consultation within the next two weeks will receive six months of free implementation assistance and support during their first pilot project.

You can get in touch via the link: https://calendly.com/agryazina-afinaclp/30min