Airtel Africa PLC has posted a 22.4 percent increase in group revenue to $1.415 billion for the quarter ended June 30, 2025.

The performance is attributed to strong operating and financial performance, reflecting effective execution of strategy and consistent demand across the African market.

East Africa remained a key contributor, with reported revenue climbing 17.6 percent to $498 million and constant currency revenue increasing 16.9 percent, supported by voice revenue growth of 15.1 percent amid increased subscriptions.

The telco’s customer base grew by 9.8 percent to 169.4 million, largely driven by expansion of both increased network coverage and the increasing scale of the distribution.

Data customers rose by 17.4 percent to 75.6 million on the back of high demand for data services amid a widening smartphone penetration to 45.9 percent.

Airtel Money continued to play a pivotal role in fostering financial inclusion with a 16.1 percent increase in customers to 45.8 million.

Airtel outpaces Safaricom in growth of new customers as it hits the 24 million mark

“As use cases continue to expand, customers are increasingly engaging with a wide range of offerings supporting a 35 percent increase in annualised transaction value to $162bn, and Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) growth of 11.3 percent in constant currency,” the telco stated.

Operationally, Airtel Africa invested in expanding its network, adding over 2,300 new sites to reach 37,579 and extending its fiber footprint by 2,700 kilometres to 79,600. This expansion increased 4G population coverage to 74.7 percent, a 3.4 percent rise from the previous year.

The company’s EBITDA rose 29.8 percent to $679 million, with margins improving to 48 percent.

Profit after tax reached $156 million, a sharp rebound from $31 million in the prior period, partly due to currency gains in Central Africa and lower foreign exchange losses. Basic earnings per share rose to 3.4 cents, compared to 0.2 cents a year earlier.

“We are very pleased with the strong growth in our operating and financial performance in the first quarter. The strength of this performance and the scale of the growth we achieved reflect the sustained demand for our services and the strength of our business model to meet these demands,” Airtel Africa Chief Executive Officer Sunil Taldar stated.