Airtel’s East Africa operations have reported significant growth in the first quarter of 2025, propelled by a sharp rise in data consumption, an expanding customer base, and substantial investments in network infrastructure.
Mobile services revenue reached $498 million, a notable increase from $423 million in Q1 2024, driven by a 47.4% surge in data usage and a 17.4% growth in data customers, now totaling 75.6 million.
The company’s focus on enhancing its 4G and 5G networks has been pivotal, with 1,244 5G-enabled sites deployed across four countries and smartphone penetration rising by 4.3% to 45.9%. This infrastructure expansion supported a rise in data revenue to $207 million from $170 million, while voice revenue grew to $245 million from $210 million, underpinned by a 9.8% increase in the customer base.
The appreciation of the Ugandan shilling significantly boosted Airtel’s reported revenue figures, outpacing constant currency growth of 16.9%. This currency effect highlighted Uganda’s critical role in the region’s performance.
Airtel Money, the company’s mobile money service, also saw strong growth, with revenue in East Africa (covering Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zambia, and Malawi) climbing to $216 million from $167 million a year earlier. This contributed to a total mobile money revenue of $290 million, reflecting the increasing adoption of digital financial services.
Across Airtel Africa, the total customer base grew by 9.0% to 169.4 million, driven by initiatives to bridge the digital divide and improve customer experience. Data ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) rose by 18.5% in constant currency, underscoring the strong demand for mobile internet.
Sunil Taldar, Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Africa, said the strength of this performance and the scale of the growth achieved reflect the sustained demand for their services and the robustness of their business model in meeting these demands.
“Operationally, the acceleration in customer base growth to 9%, and 17.4% growth in our data customers to 75.6m reflects the strong on-ground execution with a relentless focus on digitisation and the simplification of the customer experience,” he said.
Airtel’s network investments included adding over 2,300 new sites, bringing the total to 37,579, and expanding its fibre network by 2,700 km to over 79,600 km.
“This investment continues to drive increased data capacity across the region, with 4G population coverage reaching 74.7%, an increase of 3.4% from a year ago,” Taldar added.
Mobile money remained a key growth driver, with a constant currency growth of 30.3%.
Airtel Africa reported total revenue of $1.42 billion, a 22.4% increase in reported currency. Data now accounts for nearly half of mobile services revenue, cementing its role as a cornerstone of Airtel’s long-term growth strategy across Africa.
