Airtel Kenya has paid Sh8.4 billion ($65 million) for a 25-year licence to use 100 MHz of fifth-generation (5G) spectrum. The deal strengthens its push for a bigger share of Kenya’s fast-growing high-speed internet market.
Its parent company, Airtel Africa, disclosed the purchase in its results for the six months ended in September 2026, released on Friday, October 30, 2026.
“Airtel Kenya acquired 100 MHz of spectrum in the 3500 MHz band for $65 million for a 25-year term, following approval by the Communications Authority of Kenya, subject to standard conditions,” Airtel Africa said.
The extra spectrum will give the operator more capacity as it expands its network and competes for broadband customers.
The 3500 MHz range, known as the C-band, is the main band used to deploy 5G around the world, according to the GSM Association (GSMA), which represents mobile operators.
Demand for 5G in Kenya is growing quickly. Data from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) shows that 5G subscriptions rose by 75 per cent, from 1.2 million in June 2025 to 2.1 million in June 2026, as operators built more high-speed infrastructure and users moved to data-heavy services.
In the quarter ended in June, the average 5G user consumed 64.4 GB of data a month, against 15.8 GB on 4G and 8.3 GB on 3G. The country had 54.93 million mobile broadband subscriptions over the same period. Uptake is expected to keep rising as operators extend coverage to smaller towns and offer cheaper bundles.
Safaricom launched commercial 5G in October 2022, after trials that began in March 2021 in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and other busy urban centres. Airtel Kenya followed in mid-2023 and initially had more 5G sites than Safaricom. By March 2024, however, Safaricom had expanded to 803 sites, compared with Airtel’s 690.
At group level, Airtel Africa’s pre-tax profit for the half year rose by 24 per cent to $814 million, while revenue grew 28 per cent to $3.82 billion. Its capital spending more than doubled to $657 million, from $318 million a year earlier.
The spectrum deal also gives Airtel Kenya more certainty after a long-running licensing dispute with the regulator. The company’s original operating licence expired in 2015, leaving it to rely on permits inherited from YuMobile, which it bought in 2014. A 2022 out-of-court settlement with the CA allowed the expired licence to be renewed until 2025, followed by a temporary two-year permit running to January 2027.
In August 2026, Airtel Kenya Managing Director Djibril Tobe said the company had secured a new 25-year operating licence for an undisclosed fee, giving it long-term certainty. A CA notice published on August 28, 2026, showed that its applications for a Network Facilities Provider Tier 1 licence and an International Gateway Systems and Services authorisation were still going through the approval process, with public comments invited until September 28.
Safaricom has also secured a new 25-year operating licence. Both operators previously paid Sh2.3 billion each for 10-year permits. Safaricom did not disclose what it paid for the renewal, but its financial statements for the year ended in March 2026 show that it spent Sh16.3 billion on licences in Kenya over the period.
