Airtel Africa recorded a 56.3% year-on-year increase in data traffic during the first quarter of its 2026 financial year, with Nigeria emerging as one of the strongest contributors to the growth as smartphone adoption and mobile internet usage accelerated across the country.

The telecoms group’s results for the quarter ended June 30, 2026 released today, show that Nigeria, Airtel Africa’s largest market by revenue, delivered significant gains in data consumption, customer growth and revenue generation, reinforcing the country’s position as a key driver of the company’s digital economy ambitions.

The telecoms company and owners of Airtel Nigeria, the nation’s number two mobile network operator by subscribers, said smartphone penetration across its 14 African markets rose to 51.0%, up from 45.8% in the corresponding period last year, while average monthly data usage per customer increased from 7.8GB to 10.6GB. The surge in data consumption was driven by growing demand for mobile

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