The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INEPENDENT | Airtel Africa’s East African operations reported strong growth in the first quarter of 2025, driven by rising data consumption, a growing customer base, and ongoing network investments. Mobile service revenue in the region rose to $498 million from $423 million in the same period last year, supported by a 47.4% increase in data usage and a 17.4% jump in data customers, now totaling 75.6 million.
The company’s strategic focus on expanding 4G and 5G networks — including 1,244 5G-enabled sites across four countries — and a 4.3% rise in smartphone penetration to 45.9% underpinned this growth. Data revenue climbed to $207 million from $170 million, while voice revenue increased to $245 million from $210 million, buoyed by a 9.8% increase in overall customers.
A stronger Ugandan shilling also contributed to reported revenue growth outpacing constant currency growth of 16.9%, making Uganda a key driver of regional performance.
Airtel Money revenues in East Africa surged to $216 million from $167 million a year earlier, boosting the company’s total mobile money revenue to $290 million. The gains reflect expanding digital financial services across markets including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zambia, and Malawi.
Sunil Taldar, Airtel Africa CEO, said the results reflect “sustained demand for our services and the robustness of our business model.” He highlighted network expansion with over 2,300 new sites and 2,700 km of fibre rollout, increasing 4G population coverage to 74.7%.
Group-wide, Airtel Africa’s customer base grew 9% to 169.4 million, with data ARPU up 18.5% in constant currency. The company closed the quarter with total revenue of $1.42 billion, up 22.4% in reported currency, with data now representing nearly half of mobile services revenue.
