Airtel Africa has reported strong financial and operational performance for the nine-month period ended 31 December 2025, driven by robust data demand, expanding subscriber base and accelerated network investments.
Total customer base of Airtel Africa increased by 10 percent to 179.4 million, with data customers of 81.8 million, growing 14.6 percent.
Revenue growth led by data services
Airtel Africa’s revenues rose to $4,667 million, an increase of 24.6 percent year on year. Mobile services revenue grew by 23.3 percent, supported by sustained momentum across data and voice.
Data revenues, the largest contributor to group revenues, grew 36.5 percent to $1.825 billion, reflecting higher data usage and growing smartphone penetration across markets. Voice revenues of $1.7 billion also remained resilient, growing 13.5 percent during the period.
Subscriber expansion and Airtel Money momentum
The company continued to scale its digital and financial services footprint.
Airtel Money recorded 52 million customers, up 17.3 percent, highlighting strong adoption of mobile financial services. Annualised total processed value exceeded $210 billion in Q3 2026, while Airtel Money revenue grew 29.4 percent over the nine-month period, reflecting sustained customer demand.
Capex ramps up to strengthen network and coverage
Airtel Africa increased capital expenditure to $603 million, up 32.2 percent compared with the prior period. The investment supported the rollout of approximately 2,500 new sites and an expansion of the fibre network by around 4,000 kilometres, taking total fibre length to more than 81,500 kilometres.
Overall population coverage reached 81.7 percent, an improvement of 0.6 percentage points year on year, enhancing both network capacity and customer experience.
In Q3 2026, Capex more than doubled compared with Q3 2025, reflecting Airtel Africa’s decision to accelerate investments to capture long-term growth opportunities. The company remains on track to meet its full-year Capex guidance of $875 million to $900 million for FY 2026.
Sunil Taldar, chief executive officer of Airtel Africa, said the company accelerated investment to enhance coverage, data capacity and fibre reach. He added that innovative partnerships and a sharper focus on digitisation, technology innovation and the use of AI across processes are strengthening the customer proposition. According to Taldar, closer integration of GSM and Airtel Money services will help unlock strong demand across Airtel Africa’s markets.
Nigeria delivers standout performance
Airtel Nigeria delivered exceptional growth, with revenue rising 52.1 percent to $1,123 million for the nine-month period. Voice revenue increased 35.8 percent, driven by voice ARPU growth of 26.0 percent following tariff adjustments earlier in the year.
Data revenue surged 65.4 percent, supported by growth in both data customers and data ARPU of 8.0 percent and 49.7 percent, respectively. Average data usage per customer rose 26.2 percent to 10.7 GB per month, while smartphone penetration increased to 54.1 percent. Capex in Nigeria stood at $166 million.
East Africa sees balanced growth
In East Africa, revenue grew 18.2 percent to $1,615 million. Voice revenue benefited from customer base growth of 9.5 percent and voice ARPU growth of 3.1 percent. Data performance remained strong, driven by data customer growth of 15.9 percent and data usage growth of 48.1 percent.
Airtel continued to invest in 4G and 5G expansion across the region, with more than 2,000 sites now 5G enabled across four key markets. Data usage per customer increased to 7.6 GB per month, while smartphone penetration reached 45.2 percent. Capex in East Africa totalled $233 million.
Francophone Africa powered by data investments
Francophone Africa reported revenue growth of 18.8 percent to $1,150 million. While voice revenue declined 1.8 percent due to lower voice ARPU following interconnect rate reductions, data revenue grew strongly by 37.1 percent.
This growth was supported by data customer base expansion of 26.7 percent and significant investment in 4G rollout. As a result, total data usage increased 61.8 percent, with data usage per customer rising to 6.6 GB per month. Smartphone penetration improved to 45.9 percent, and 93.3 percent of sites are now on 4G. Capex in Francophone Africa reached $154 million.
Strategy focused on digital scale and long-term growth
Airtel Africa’s performance underscores its strategy of combining aggressive network investment with digital innovation and financial services expansion. By accelerating Capex, deepening fibre and 5G capabilities, and embedding AI and digitisation across operations, the company is positioning itself to capture rising data consumption and financial inclusion opportunities across its African markets.
BABURAJAN KIZHAKEDATH