About the Customer

MTN Nigeria, one of Africa’s largest telecom providers, sought to expand into OTT media services through Play, a content platform delivering on-demand videos, music, and podcasts. Targeting mobile-first users across diverse regions, MTN needed a solution that was flexible, bandwidth-efficient, and built for scale.

The Opportunity

As MTN’s digital user base grew, so did the demand for a seamless content streaming experience – especially on mobile devices and low-bandwidth networks. The goal was to launch an OTT platform that could not only scale to millions of users but also deliver fast, engaging media playback across devices, while maintaining flexibility for content management and analytics.

Key challenges included:

• Optimizing for low-bandwidth environments with a responsive, mobile-first design
• Implementing secure MSISDN-based login to streamline access without requiring complex registration flows
• Capturing real-time engagement data using custom events across video, music, and podcast content
• Integrating with external APIs to dynamically fetch trending and recommended media
• Ensuring cross-browser and cross-device compatibility while maintaining high performance and visual consistency 

MTN partnered with Ekfrazo to design a custom-built, API-integrated OTT platform that would solve these challenges-bringing together robust media infrastructure, content analytics, and mobile-first UX in one scalable solution.

The Approach

To build a fast, scalable, and mobile-friendly OTT experience, Ekfrazo combined the flexibility of Drupal CMS with a fully custom-built JavaScript media player. The goal was to support seamless streaming across devices, enable real-time analytics, and deliver dynamic content in low-bandwidth conditions. The result was a responsive platform optimized for high-volume streaming, secure access, and editorial efficiency.

Key components and solutions included:

• Custom JavaScript Media Player
  Developed a lightweight, device-agnostic player from scratch with controls for play, pause, skip, playlists, and autoplay. Integrated real-time engagement tracking through custom event triggers at 25%, 50%, 75%, and completion.
  
• Drupal-Powered CMS Architecture
  Set up content types for video, audio, and podcasts, with role-based access for admins, editors, and moderators – enabling easy media uploads, publishing, and moderation.
  
• API Integrations & CRON Jobs
  Integrated third-party APIs to dynamically fetch trending media; configured CRON jobs to update and cache content at scheduled intervals for improved delivery speed.
  
• Responsive Design Implementation
  Used Bootstrap and custom SASS to ensure cross-device compatibility, mobile responsiveness, and clean UI. AJAX-based filters and lazy loading enhanced performance and discoverability.
  
• Secure MSISDN Authentication
  Implemented mobile number-based login using telco infrastructure – enabling frictionless, secure access without traditional sign-up barriers.

The Impact

Launching MTN Play wasn’t just a technical success – it delivered real business impact. By merging performance-focused engineering with a mobile-first UX, Ekfrazo helped MTN create a platform that’s fast, flexible, and ready to scale.

With over 1 million streams handled in the early months and mobile load times cut by 30%, the platform proved its ability to perform in even low-bandwidth environments. Real-time analytics gave MTN the tools to adapt content strategy on the fly, while the Drupal-backed CMS empowered editorial teams to work efficiently without technical overhead. Most importantly, the solution gave MTN the foundation to compete in the OTT space – driving engagement, reducing churn, and setting a new standard for telco-led media platforms.