Airtel Kenya has paid Sh8.4 billion ($65 million) for a 25-year permit for the super-fast fifth-generation (5G) network, as it steps up investment in its mobile systems.
The acquisition gives the telecoms operator additional capacity to expand its network and strengthen its position in Kenya’s fast-growing broadband market.
“Airtel Kenya acquired 100 MHz of spectrum in the 3500 MHz band for $65 million for a 25-year term, following the approval from the Communications Authority of Kenya, subject to standard conditions,” Airtel Africa has said.
The 3500 MHz range, which is also known as C-band, is the primary global launch band for 5G, according to the Global System for Mobile Communications Association.
Latest data by the Communications Authority of Kenya shows that Kenya’s 5G subscriber base increased to 2.1 million in June 2026, up from 1.2 million a year earlier, representing a 75 percent rise as operators expand high-speed network infrastructure and users shift towards more demanding digital services.
5G adoption is expected to continue growing as operators expand coverage to secondary towns and offer more affordable bundles, making high-speed connectivity accessible to a wider segment of the population.
Safaricom launched 5G commercially in October 2022 after trials that started in March 2021 in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, and other urban areas with high data traffic.
Airtel Kenya joined the 5G rollout in mid-2023, initially surpassing Safaricom in the number of sites, before Safaricom expanded to 803 sites in March 2024 against Airtel’s 690.
The spectrum purchase comes against a backdrop of regulatory uncertainty over Airtel Kenya’s operating licences, which have been the subject of a dispute with the regulator for more than a decade.
The company’s original operating licence expired in 2015, forcing it to rely on permits inherited from YuMobile, which Airtel acquired in 2014.
An out-of-court settlement with the Communications Authority in 2022 paved the way for renewal of the expired licence through 2025, followed by a temporary two-year permit running to January 2027.
In August 2026, Airtel Kenya managing director Djibril Tobe announced that the company had secured a new 25-year operating licence after paying an undisclosed fee, saying the renewal provided long-term certainty for its operations.
However, a subsequent notice by the regulator published on August 28, 2026 showed that applications for a Network Facilities Provider Tier 1 licence and an International Gateway Systems and Services authorisation were still undergoing the approval process, with public submissions open until September 28.
Airtel’s rival, Safaricom, recently announced that it secured a new 25-year operating licence.
Previously, the two operators had paid Sh2.3 billion for 10-year permits each.
Safaricom did not disclose the amount paid for its licence renewal, but the telco’s financials for the year ended March 2026 showed it spent Sh16.3 billion on licences in Kenya during the year.
The two companies were granted temporary two-year operating licences in late 2024, pending agreement on fees, spectrum allocation and penalties for service outages. Airtel has been operating under the temporary permit since.
