Airtel Africa delivered strong growth across revenue, subscribers, ARPU and digital services during FY26, driven by rising smartphone adoption, increasing data usage, Airtel Money expansion and investments in AI-enabled digital platforms.
Airtel Africa’s revenue increased 29.5 percent to $6.42 billion in FY26, supported by tariff adjustments in Nigeria and operational execution. Nigeria and Francophone Africa remained major growth engines, recording revenue growth of 47.5 percent and 17.1 percent, respectively.
The telecom operator’s mobile services revenue rose 22.6 percent, while data revenue surged 35.2 percent, becoming the largest contributor to group revenue. Mobile money revenue also maintained strong momentum with 28.4 percent growth.
Airtel Africa’s total customer base increased 10.5 percent to 183.5 million, marking its highest-ever net additions. Data customers climbed 14.8 percent to 84.2 million as smartphone penetration improved to 49.5 percent from 44.8 percent. Smartphone customers increased 22 percent to 91 million, contributing to nearly 50 percent growth in data traffic.
Data usage per customer rose to 8.9 GB per month from 7.0 GB a year earlier. Data ARPU increased 16.2 percent, reflecting robust demand for digital services and higher customer engagement.
Airtel Money continued to strengthen its digital financial ecosystem with customers rising 21.3 percent to 54.1 million. Annualised total processed value expanded 49 percent to more than $215 billion in Q4 FY26. Airtel Money ARPU improved 8.6 percent in constant currency as wider use cases and higher digital adoption boosted customer engagement. App transacting customers increased 74 percent during the year.
CEO Sunil Taldar said AI and digital technologies played a key role in improving operational efficiency and customer experience. Airtel Africa expanded AI-driven site-level network optimisation, streamlined digital onboarding and accelerated deployment of the myAirtel app as a unified customer interface for service adoption and engagement.
EBITDA grew 37.2 percent to $3.16 billion, while EBITDA margin improved to 49.3 percent from 47.3 percent. Airtel Africa achieved a record quarterly EBITDA margin of 50.3 percent in Q4 FY26 due to strong revenue growth and continued cost efficiency programmes.
Profit after tax rose significantly to $813 million from $328 million in the previous year, supported by stronger operating performance and derivative and foreign exchange gains of $127 million compared with losses in the prior year.
Operating strategy remained focused on network expansion, digital infrastructure and service quality improvement.
Capital expenditure increased 31.9 percent to $884 million as Airtel Africa rolled out more than 3,250 new sites and expanded fibre infrastructure by around 3,200 kilometres to 81,900 kilometres.
For FY27, Airtel Africa plans capex of around $1.1 billion to accelerate network coverage, expand capacity, strengthen home broadband services and invest in data centres to support growing digital demand and AI-driven workloads.
Airtel Africa also improved its balance sheet, reducing leverage from 2.3x to 1.8x, while lease-adjusted leverage improved to 0.5x from 1.0x due to higher EBITDA generation.
Despite concerns over rising energy costs linked to geopolitical developments, Airtel Africa said its enhanced cost efficiency initiatives and digital transformation strategy would help mitigate near-term margin pressure while sustaining long-term growth momentum.
Airtel Africa accelerates 5G, fibre
Airtel Africa expanded its network and digital infrastructure aggressively during FY26, deploying more than 3,250 infrastructure sites and over 3,600 new 4G sites across its markets. The company said 98.5 percent of its network sites are now 4G-enabled, while more than 3,100 operational 5G sites are active across six countries.
Airtel Africa also strengthened its fibre infrastructure by adding around 3,200 kilometres during the year, taking total fibre deployment to 81,900 kilometres. The telecom operator said investments in spectrum, 5G, fibre and data centres are aimed at improving digital inclusion and supporting rising demand for broadband and digital services.
The company’s growth strategy is centred on micro-marketing, network optimisation and digital tools to improve customer acquisition and retention. Airtel Africa is targeting “must win markets” across urban and rural regions by enhancing indoor coverage, improving network quality, expanding retail presence and increasing 5G coverage to support growing home broadband demand.
Rural markets remain a major opportunity due to low telecom and financial services penetration. Airtel Africa said intensified network investments and stronger distribution capabilities are expected to drive future customer additions in these regions.
Digitisation continued to be a core strategic focus during FY26. The myAirtel app remained central to the company’s single-app strategy integrating telecom and Airtel Money services. Digitally engaged users increased 55 percent year-on-year, while transacting users rose 74 percent as customers increasingly adopted self-service digital channels.
Transaction processed value on Airtel Africa’s app surged 79 percent to $8.3 billion in FY26 from $4.6 billion in FY25. The company also launched WhatsApp as an additional customer engagement platform, enabling users to access services including bill payments, transfers, merchant payments and mobile recharges across multiple languages.
Airtel Africa said investments in automation, analytics and AI-driven digital platforms are helping simplify customer journeys, automate lifecycle management and improve operational efficiency across telecom and financial services businesses.
BABURAJAN KIZHAKEDATH
