A New Era for African Telcos: Data Takes Center Stage

The mobile phone landscape in Africa is undergoing a dramatic transformation. For decades, voice minutes were the primary revenue source for telcos across the continent. Today, data and digital financial services have not only caught up but surpassed traditional calling as the dominant growth engines.

Key Findings from Recent Financial Results:

Airtel Africa:

  • Full-year 2026 revenue reached $6.4 billion
  • Customer base: 183.5 million
  • Data revenue grew by 35.2% (constant currency)
    • Smartphone penetration now at 49.5%
    • Average monthly data consumption per customer: 8.9GB (up from 7GB)
  • Mobile money (Airtel Money) customer base: 54.1 million
    • Processed over $215 billion in transactions during the final quarter alone

Safaricom:

  • Data revenue narrowly edged out voice for the first time in fiscal year ended March 2026
  • Connectivity revenue breakdown:
    • Data: 42.1% ($646 million)
    • Voice: 41.3%
    • Messaging plummeted nearly 12%
  • Monthly data consumption per subscriber increased by 16.6% to 4.92GB
  • Average rates per megabyte dropped 12.1%, offset by higher usage

MTN Group:

  • Service revenue rose 22.9% to $13.6 billion
  • Data revenue jumped 37.7%
  • Fintech revenue increased by 30%
  • Served 307.2 million customers with 23.3 billion mobile money transactions
  • Average monthly data usage: 12.5GB (up from 10.8GB)

Driving Forces Behind the Shift:

Rising Smartphone Penetration:

Across Africa, smartphone adoption continues to climb steadily, enabling millions more people to access affordable internet.

  • Airtel’s footprint: nearly 50% smartphone penetration
  • Safaricom: 33.2 million smartphones connected (up 21.2%)

Mobile Money Evolution:

Mobile money services have expanded far beyond basic transfers into comprehensive financial platforms offering savings, lending, insurance, and merchant payments.

The Inevitable Pivot:

As voice revenue stagnates due to increased competition and saturation, data and fintech offer critical new avenues for growth. This transformation represents a fundamental shift in how African consumers communicate, transact, and manage their finances—a change that promises both challenges and opportunities for the continent’s leading telecom operators.