Strong growth in mobile data usage and digital financial services helped Airtel Africa PLC post a sharp rise in revenue and profits for the financial year ended March 31, 2026, with East Africa emerging as one of the group’s fastest-growing regions.
The telecom giant reported a 29.5 per cent increase in revenue to $6.4 billion, while profit after tax more than doubled to $813 million from $328 million recorded a year earlier.
East Africa generated $2.19 billion in revenue, reflecting an 18.9 per cent increase in reported currency, boosted by stronger regional currencies including the Ugandan shilling, Tanzanian shilling, and Zambian kwacha.
The company said growth across the region was driven by rising smartphone adoption, increased internet consumption, and expanding use of mobile money services.
Data revenues in East Africa rose by 18 per cent as the number of data customers grew by 15.7 per cent, while data traffic surged by more than 50 per cent during the year.
The operator also continued expanding its next-generation network infrastructure, with more than 2,200 sites now 5G-enabled across five African markets following the rollout of 5G services in Malawi during the fourth quarter.
Smartphone penetration in the region climbed to 46.6 per cent, while average monthly data usage per customer increased by 28 per cent to 8GB.
Group Chief Executive Officer Sunil Taldar said adoption of digital technologies and artificial intelligence had become central to the company’s growth strategy.
“This year delivered a very strong performance across both operating and financial metrics,” said Taldar.
“Adoption of new digital technologies and AI has been pivotal in unlocking growth opportunities and driving efficiencies, with wide-ranging rollouts enhancing customer experience through site-level network optimisation, streamlined onboarding and accelerating the rollout of the myAirtel app.”
Across its 14 African markets, Airtel Africa added customers at its fastest pace yet, with its total subscriber base growing by 10.5 per cent to 183.5 million users.
Smartphone customers increased by 22 per cent to 91 million, helping drive a nearly 50 per cent jump in data traffic across the network.
Meanwhile, Airtel Money continued to strengthen its position as a major digital payments platform, with customer numbers rising by 21.3 per cent to 54.1 million users.
Annualised transaction value processed through Airtel Money exceeded $215 billion during the fourth quarter, supported by growing adoption of digital payments and expanded financial services.
The company, however, noted that recent geopolitical developments had delayed the anticipated Airtel Money initial public offering, though it still intends to pursue the listing in the second half of 2026 if market conditions improve.
Airtel Africa also reported improved profitability, with EBITDA margins rising to 49.3 per cent for the year and exceeding 50 per cent during the final quarter.
The company attributed the stronger margins to sustained revenue growth and an ongoing cost-efficiency programme. However, it warned that rising global energy prices could increase operational costs in the near term.
To support future growth, Airtel Africa increased capital expenditure by 31.9 per cent to $884 million, including the rollout of more than 3,250 new network sites and expansion of its fibre network to nearly 82,000 kilometres.
The firm plans to increase capital spending to approximately $1.1 billion in the coming financial year as it expands broadband coverage, data centres, and digital infrastructure across the continent.
Investors are also set for a higher payout after the board recommended a final dividend of 4.26 US cents per share, bringing the total dividend for the year to 7.1 cents per share, up 9.2 per cent from the previous year.
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