One of the continent’s largest telecom operators Airtel Africa, has expanded its fibre network to over 81,500 kilometres as of December 2025, reinforcing its push to improve connectivity across its 14 markets, according to the company’s latest financial report.
The company added around 4,000 km of new fibre in the past nine months, raising population coverage to 81.7%, up 0.6 percentage points from the previous year.
The fibre rollout is part of an accelerated investment programme, which saw Airtel Africa spend $603 million in capital expenditure, a 32.2% increase from the previous period. The company also deployed roughly 2,500 new sites to boost network coverage and capacity as demand for high-speed data continues to surge across Africa.
CEO Sunil Taldar said the infrastructure build-out demonstrates confidence in the long-term growth potential of Airtel’s markets.
“These results highlight the strength of our strategy, with strong operating and financial trends across the business,” Taldar said. “We accelerated investment to enhance coverage and data capacity while expanding our fibre network. Coupled with innovative partnerships, this positions us to capture the considerable growth opportunity across our markets.”
Airtel Africa’s expanding fibre footprint supports rising smartphone adoption, which now stands at 48.1% penetration, and meets growing demand for reliable, high-speed connectivity for homes, businesses, and digital services.
A broader fibre backbone helps reduce data delivery costs, improves network resilience, and accelerates the rollout of advanced services such as mobile money, home broadband, and enterprise connectivity. The expansion also sets the stage for integrating emerging technologies, including AI-driven network optimisation and digital service automation, to enhance customer experience.
The investment push coincides with strong financial performance. Group revenue grew 28.3% in reported currency to $4.67 billion, while constant currency revenue rose 24.6%. Nigeria led growth with a 50.6% constant currency revenue increase, driven by tariff adjustments and supported by a sharp appreciation of the naira in Q3 2026. Francophone Africa and East Africa also recorded double-digit growth.
Airtel Africa’s mobile services revenue rose 26.6%, with data revenue surging 36.5% and mobile money revenue climbing 34.9%, reflecting the growing importance of digital financial services across its markets.
The company is also strengthening strategic partnerships to complement its fibre expansion. In December 2025, Airtel Africa became the first African operator to partner with SpaceX’s Starlink Direct-to-Cell service, bringing satellite-based mobile connectivity to areas without terrestrial coverage.
Additionally, the company signed major infrastructure-sharing agreements with Vodacom and MTN, aiming to accelerate network expansion in Tanzania, the DRC, Uganda, and Nigeria.
