Airtel Africa plc has reported impressive growth across key metrics in its first-quarter results for the period ending June 30, 2025.

The telecom giant expanded its customer base by 9% year-on-year to 169.4 million users, with data subscribers growing even faster at 17.4% to reach 75.6 million. 

This expansion was supported by rising smartphone adoption, which increased by 4.3 percentage points to 45.9% penetration. The surge in smart devices fueled data consumption, with usage jumping 47.4% and driving an 18.5% increase in data ARPU (average revenue per user) in constant currency.  

The company's mobile money platform, Airtel Money, maintained its strong growth trajectory, adding 16.1% more customers to reach 45.8 million. 

Customer engagement deepened, with annualized transaction value soaring 35% to $162 billion, while ARPU rose 11.3% in constant currency.  

Financially, Airtel Africa posted a 24.9% revenue increase in constant currency (22.4% reported) to $1.415 billion, benefiting from easing foreign exchange pressures over recent quarters. 

Profitability saw a dramatic improvement, with net profit climbing to $156 million from just $31 million in the prior-year period.  

CEO Sunil Taldar attributed the strong performance to strategic execution: “Our first-quarter results demonstrate both the growing demand for our services and our ability to deliver through continuous digital innovation. 

The acceleration in customer additions, particularly in data users, reflects our success in simplifying and enhancing the customer journey."

Looking ahead, Taldar emphasized the company's commitment to “leveraging technology and expanding our product ecosystem to maintain this momentum and deliver exceptional value to our customers."  

The results position Airtel Africa as a growth leader in Africa's telecom sector, capitalizing on rising digital and financial inclusion trends across its markets.