A major change is happening in how people use their mobile phones across Africa. For the first time in its history, Airtel Africa is making more money from people using the internet (data) than from traditional voice calls.
This shift shows that millions of people are moving away from old-fashioned calling and spending more time online.
The Big Switch: Data vs. Voice
According to the company’s latest financial report for the year ending March 2026, data revenue has officially become Airtel’s biggest source of income.
• Internet Power: People are using the internet for everything social media, watching videos, and sending messages on apps like WhatsApp.
• The Numbers: Data revenue jumped to $2.53 billion, while money from traditional phone calls (voice) grew more slowly to $2.32 billion.
Why Is This Happening?
There are three main reasons why internet use is exploding:
1. More Smartphones: Almost half of Airtel’s customers (49.5%) now own a smartphone. This makes it easier for them to access the web.
2. Higher Consumption: People aren’t just browsing; they are using a lot more data. On average, a customer now uses 8.9 GB of data every month up from 7 GB just a year ago.
3. Better Networks: Airtel has been building more “4G” and “5G” towers, which makes the internet faster and more reliable for users in 14 African countries.
Airtel Money is Also Growing
It’s not just about the internet. People are also using their phones like bank accounts. Airtel Money (the company’s mobile banking service) now has over 54 million customers.
People used the service to send and receive over $215 billion in just the last three months of the financial year. This is helping people who don’t have traditional bank accounts manage their money safely.
What Does This Mean for the Future?
This news tells us that Africa is becoming a truly “digital-first” continent.
As phone calls become less popular, the internet is becoming the “new normal” for communication, business, and entertainment. Airtel plans to spend even more money next year about $1.1 billion to build more data centers and better internet connections for everyone.
