Airtel Africa hits 189 million customers

Airtel Africa is reaching more customers as demand for digital services continues to grow, with the telecoms company reporting strong customer and revenue growth in its latest results.

The company’s customer base increased by 11.6 percent to 189 million in the quarter ending June 2026, while data customers grew by 15.5 percent to 87.3 million as more people adopted smartphone and internet services.

Airtel Africa said data usage per customer increased from 7.8GB to 10.6GB per month over the past year, pushing data traffic across its network up by 56.3 percent.

Chief executive officer Sunil Taldar said the company’s focus on improving customer experience and expanding digital services was driving growth across its markets.

“As we continue to digitise our business, we are streamlining customer journeys, increasing digital adoption and harnessing data and AI to improve service delivery,” Taldar said.

The company’s mobile money business also recorded growth, with Airtel Money customers rising by 23.3 percent to 56.5 million.

Airtel Africa said the annualised total processed value on the platform increased by 51.5 percent to more than US$245 billion, reflecting increased use of digital payments and financial services.

Financially, the company reported a 31 percent increase in revenue to US$1.85 billion, with mobile services revenue growing by 19.1 percent and mobile money revenue increasing by 25.8 percent.

Profit after tax stood at US$198 million, up from US$156 million in the previous period, supported by higher operating profits despite foreign exchange losses and additional finance costs.

The company also increased investment in its network, spending US$389 million during the quarter compared to US$121 million in the previous period.

Airtel Africa said it added more than 920 network sites and expanded its fibre network to 82,100 kilometres as part of efforts to improve network quality and support future growth.

The company further announced that London will be its preferred listing venue for Airtel Money in 2026, saying the move will help attract international investors and unlock the long-term value of its digital financial services business.