Airtel Uganda profit jumps to sh197b on data growth

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Airtel Uganda has reported a profit of sh197.2b for the six months to June 2025, a 29% rise from sh153.2b a year earlier, helped by surging data revenues and steady customer growth.

In its interim report for the period, the company’s board declared an interim dividend of sh174b, equivalent to sh4.35 per share for the half year.

Revenue rose 12% to sh1.08 trillion, up from sh960b in the same period last year, with data leading the growth. Income from mobile internet jumped 30.4%, supported by a 25.9% increase in data customers and a 22.7% rise in average usage per subscriber.

Overall network traffic surged by more than half as the operator expanded its 4G coverage and fibre capacity. According to the report, operating profit climbed to sh379.5b from sh297.7b last year.

But higher financing costs, mainly from lease obligations and borrowings, ate into margins. Finance costs rose to sh111.7b from sh84.5b a year earlier, reflecting the company’s ongoing investment in expanding its network.

On the balance sheet, total assets stood at sh2.62 trillion, up from sh2.21 trillion in June 2024. Property, plant and equipment rose to sh829.3b, while right-of-use assets, largely linked to network infrastructure, expanded to sh1.09 trillion from sh670b last year.

Equity increased to sh165.8b, up from sh148b last year, on the back of retained earnings despite hefty dividend payouts. Non-current liabilities rose to sh1.51 trillion, mainly due to lease obligations, while current borrowings grew to sh522.9b.

Airtel says it continued to invest heavily in its network, spending sh87.8b in capital expenditure during the half year. This went into expanding 4G coverage, which now reaches more than 91% of the population, and extending fibre by nearly 1,800km.

The company’s customer base grew by 14.7%, with smartphone adoption and new digital services boosting usage.