Airtel Africa buys additional spectrum in Kenya for $40 million

Airtel Africa Plc says its Kenyan subsidiary, Airtel Kenya Networks Ltd, has purchased 60 megahertz (MHz) of additional spectrum in the country for $40 million.

Simon O’Hara, Airtel Africa’s secretary, said this on Monday in a corporate filing on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX).

The company said the additional spectrum is in the 2600 MHz band from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA).

It said the licence would be valid from July 2022 for a period of 15 years.

“Airtel Africa, a leading provider of telecommunications and mobile money services, with a presence in 14 countries across Africa, today announces that its Kenya subsidiary, Airtel Kenya Networks Limited (‘Airtel Kenya’), has purchased 60 MHz of additional spectrum in the 2600 MHz band from the Communications Authority of Kenya, for a gross consideration of $40m. The licence is valid from July 2022 for a period of 15 years,” the statement reads. 

“This additional spectrum will support our 4G network capacity expansion in the market for mobile data and fixed wireless home broadband capability, and will allow for future 5G rollout, providing significant capacity to accommodate our continued strong data growth in the country.”

Kenya rolled out its fifth generation (5G) network in 2022 — with Safaricom, a mobile network provider, taking the lead.

Last year, Airtel Africa’s Nigerian subsidiary lost in the bidding round to its rivals — MTN Nigeria and Mafab Communications Limited — to acquire 5G spectrum licences.