Airtel embarks on major fibre, base station rollouts

by MTHULISI SIBANDA
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – AIRTEL Africa has recently rolled out almost 3 000 sites and over 5 600 kilometres of fibre in its operations around the continent.

Executives announced the expansion exercise as the company released its financial results for the second quarter of 2024, ending June 30.

During the period, also, total customer base grew by 8,6 percent in the continent to 155,4 million.

Data customer penetration continues to rise, driving a 13,4 percent increase in data customers to 64,4 million.

Airtel has also disclosed that across the group, mobile services revenue grew by 17,4 percent and mobile money revenue was up by 28,4 percent in constant currency during the period.

The US$100-million share buyback continues, with 21 million shares purchased for a consideration of $29 million as at the end of June 2024.

Sunil Taldar, Chief Executive Officer, said the continued revenue growth momentum of the company again reflects the resilient demand for services, with sustained growth in customer base and usage.

“Our superior execution enables us to capture these opportunities, whilst retaining our reputation as a cost leader across the industry,” he said.

The executive said the mobile operator would build on the strong foundation established over years to deliver on new business opportunities.

“Most importantly, our emphasis is on significantly improving customer experience by simplifying customer journeys and providing best in class network experience to our customers, whilst remaining focused on driving efficiencies across the business.”

Airtel Africa has a presence in 14 countries in the continent.

– CAJ News