By The Respondents Reporter
Airtel Africa has kicked off its 2026/27 financial year with robust growth, reporting a 31 percent increase in first-quarter revenue, driven by rising demand for mobile data, digital financial services and continued investment in network expansion across its 14 African markets.
The telecommunications group, which operates in Tanzania and 13 other African countries, reported revenue of $1.853 billion for the quarter ended June 30, 2026, up from $1.415 billion recorded during the same period last year.
Profit after tax rose by 27 percent to $198 million, while revenue in constant currency increased by 21.1 percent, reflecting broad-based growth across voice, data and mobile money services.
Chief Executive Officer Sunil Taldar said the company had delivered another strong quarter, supported by increasing smartphone adoption, greater use of digital services and sustained investment in network infrastructure.
"We have started this year with another pleasing performance," Mr Taldar said. "Higher smartphone adoption, stronger digital engagement and ongoing investment in network infrastructure continue to support our growth across our markets."
Performance varied across regions, with Nigeria recording the strongest revenue growth at 29.8 percent, followed by Francophone Africa at 18 percent and East Africa, which includes Tanzania, at 17.8 percent.
The company's total customer base expanded by 11.6 percent to 189 million, while data subscribers increased by 15.5 percent to 87.3 million. Mobile money users rose by 23.3 percent to 56.5 million, reflecting growing demand for digital financial services.
Smartphone penetration reached 51 percent, helping drive average monthly data usage per customer from 7.8 gigabytes to 10.6 gigabytes over the past year. As a result, total data traffic surged by 56.3 percent.
Airtel Money continued to be a key growth engine, with annualised transaction value surpassing $245 billion, representing a 51.5 percent increase from a year earlier. Revenue from the mobile financial services business climbed 38.9 percent to $404 million.
To meet rising customer demand, Airtel Africa invested $389 million in capital expenditure during the quarter, deploying more than 920 new network sites its highest first-quarter rollout on record—and expanding its fibre network to 82,100 kilometres to improve coverage and service quality.
The increased investment did not weigh on profitability. EBITDA rose 36.6 percent to $928 million, while the EBITDA margin improved to 50.1 percent.
Net cash generated from operating activities increased 38.3 percent to $786 million, highlighting the resilience of the company's operations despite higher energy costs.
Looking ahead, Airtel Africa said it remains committed to pursuing a London Stock Exchange listing for its Airtel Money business, subject to regulatory approvals, as it seeks to unlock shareholder value and attract a broader international investor base.
