Airtel Africa's Digital Surge: How Data and Mobile Money Drove Record Growth

The telecoms group's total customer base grew 11 per cent to 173.8 million, with data users rising 18.4 per cent to 78.1 million.

As per the financial result document, the smartphone penetration increased to 46.8 per cent, driving a 45 per cent surge in data traffic and a 16.8 per cent rise in data ARPU in constant currency.

Airtel Money also maintained strong momentum, with its customer base expanding 20 per cent to 49.8 million. Annualised total processed value for Q2'26 surpassed USD 193 billion, up 35.9 per cent, while ARPU increased 11 per cent in constant currency.

According to the financial result document, network investment continued, with over 2,350 new sites rolled out, bringing the total to 38,300, and 4,000 km of additional fibre deployed, extending coverage to 81,000 km. Population coverage reached 81.5 per cent, with 98.5 per cent of sites now 4G-enabled.

Revenue rose 24.5 per cent in constant currency to USD 2.98 billion and 25.8 per cent in reported currency, supported by strong growth in Nigeria and Francophone Africa. Data revenue of USD 1.16 billion overtook voice as the group's largest segment, while mobile money revenue grew 30.2 per cent. EBITDA rose 33.2 per cent to USD 1.45 billion, lifting margins to 48.5 per cent. Profit after tax jumped to USD 376 million, compared with USD 79 million a year earlier, benefiting from currency gains and operating leverage.

Capex remained stable at USD 318 million, but full-year guidance was raised to between USD 875 million and USD 900 million to accelerate growth. Leverage improved to 2.1x, and the board declared an interim dividend of 2.84 cents per share, up 9.2 per cent, with a USD 100 million share buyback on track.

"Our strategy has been focussed on providing a superior customer experience and the strength of these results is testament to the initiatives that we have been implementing across the business. Digital innovation is a core focus, and we're pleased to see the growing adoption of MyAirtel app as we seek to deepen customer engagement and simplify the customer journey," said Sunil Taldar, chief executive officer, Airtel Africa PLC.

"Furthermore, our network continues to scale as we build additional capacity to facilitate the rise in both digital and financial inclusion. The increase in smartphone penetration to 46.8% reflects the substantial demand for data services across our markets but also highlights the scale of the opportunity to further develop the digital economy," he further added.

- ANI