Airtel Nigeria has disclosed a surge in its customer base, with total subscribers hitting 53.6 million for the half-year period ending September 30, 2025. This rise represents a solid 9.9 per cent acceleration in customer growth for the Nigerian mobile services segment.
In its financial statement made available to Business Remarks, the telecom company reported that its data subscriber base soared to 29.5 million, a significant 12.2 per cent increase from the previous year.
Financially, the accelerated customer acquisition translated into explosive revenue figures, with data revenue in constant currency posting a staggering 62.4 per cent growth. This stellar performance was further boosted by the full-period impact of tariff adjustments implemented during the half-year.
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Driving this boom is the network’s enhanced capacity and the rising tide of smartphone adoption among Nigerians. Data usage per customer per month climbed to an average of 10.1 GB, a jump from the 8.1 GB recorded in the preceding period.
Crucially, smartphone penetration across the network increased by 4.2 percentage points, reaching 52.8 per cent. This growth in the adoption of smart devices directly supported the 39.0 per cent rise in the Mobile Services Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) in constant currency. While Voice revenue grew by 34.7% in constant currency, driven by voice ARPU growth of 25.7%.
According to the telco, the top-line growth and effective cost management strategies led to a significant jump in profitability. The segment’s Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation, and Amortisation (EBITDA) margin expanded by 760 basis points to reach 56.3 per cent, driven by strong operational leverage. Also, its operating profit for half 2025 was peg at $236 million as against $155 million recorded for 2024.