Airtel Africa increased capital expenditure to US$657 million in the six months ended September 30, 2026, from US$318 million a year earlier, to expand telecommunications infrastructure across its 14 African markets. The investment is aimed at improving network coverage, increasing capacity and meeting rising demand for mobile data services.
The increased spending reflects the company's strategy to strengthen its position in Africa's telecommunications market as more customers adopt smartphones and digital services. During the reporting period, Airtel Africa deployed approximately 4,200 infrastructure sites and added more than 4,400 4G sites across its operating markets.
The expansion increased the proportion of network sites enabled for 4G to 99.2%, extending access to higher-speed mobile internet. The company is also accelerating its fifth-generation (5G) network rollout, with its footprint reaching approximately 4,100 sites across seven markets following launches in Gabon and Seychelles.
Airtel Africa's fibre infrastructure also expanded beyond 83,000 kilometres, supporting greater network capacity and connectivity. Fibre infrastructure provides the backbone for mobile telecommunications services by connecting network sites and supporting the growing volume of data traffic.
The infrastructure investment comes as the operator records continued growth in its data customer base. Data customers increased by 15% to 89.9 million, reflecting increased adoption of internet-enabled services across its markets.
Monthly smartphone data consumption also rose significantly, reaching 13.3 gigabytes per customer from 10.1 gigabytes in the corresponding period last year. The increase points to growing demand for video streaming, digital communication, online transactions and other data-intensive services.
The company's financial performance also benefited from improved cash generation. Operating free cash flow increased by 12% to US$1.26 billion, providing additional financial capacity to support infrastructure expansion and other strategic investments.
Airtel Africa operates in 14 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, providing mobile voice, data and mobile money services. Its network expansion is part of a broader strategy to increase connectivity, improve customer experience and capture opportunities arising from the continent's growing digital economy.
The continued rollout of 4G and 5G infrastructure is expected to support further growth in data consumption and digital services. Investors will be watching the company's subsequent financial results and network deployment updates to assess how the increased capital expenditure translates into customer growth, service quality and revenue performance.
