Data boom fuels Airtel’s strong regional performance

KAMPALA, UGANDA — Airtel’s East Africa operations reported strong growth in the latest quarter, driven by surging data consumption, an expanding customer base and continued investment in network infrastructure. Mobile services revenue for the region rose to $498 million in the first quarter of 2025, up from $423 million in the first quarter of 2024.

The growth was supported by a 47.4% increase in data usage across the network and a 17.4% rise in data customers, who now total 75.6 million. Strategic investments in 4G and 5G network expansion, including 1,244 5G-enabled sites across four countries and a 4.3% increase in smartphone penetration to 45.9%, were key to this performance. Data revenue climbed to $207 million from $170 million, while voice revenue increased to $245 million from $210 million, backed by a 9.8% growth in the overall customer base.

The appreciation of the Ugandan shilling played a significant role in the quarter’s reported revenue performance, boosting Airtel’s figures when converted to U.S. dollars. This currency effect meant reported revenue growth outpaced constant currency growth of 16.9%, positioning Uganda as a significant driver of regional performance.

Airtel’s mobile money segment also showed solid gains in East Africa, which includes Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zambia and Malawi. Revenue from Airtel Money in the region rose to $216 million in the first quarter of 2025, up from $167 million a year earlier. This contributed significantly to the company’s total mobile money revenue of $290 million, reflecting the growing uptake of digital financial services.

Group-wide, Airtel Africa continued its strong momentum with a total customer base rising 9.0% to 169.4 million. Data Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) increased by 18.5% in constant currency, reflecting strong demand for mobile internet services.

Sunil Taldar, CEO of Airtel Africa, attributed the steady growth to the company’s refined strategy.

“The strength of this performance and the scale of the growth we achieved reflect the sustained demand for our services and the robustness of our business model in meeting these demands,” Taldar said. “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 digitization and the simplification of the customer experience.”

Taldar noted the company’s continued investment in network infrastructure, with more than 2,300 new sites bringing the total to 37,579 sites and an expansion of its fiber network by 2,700 km to more than 79,600 km. This investment has driven increased data capacity, with 4G population coverage reaching 74.7%, a 3.4% increase from a year ago.

Mobile money remains a “cornerstone of current and future growth,” with constant currency growth of 30.3% driven by East Africa.

Airtel Africa closed the quarter with total revenue growth of $1.42 billion, a 22.4% increase in reported currency. Data now contributes nearly half of mobile services revenue, underscoring its growing strategic importance.