Airtel becomes world’s second-largest telecom operator with 650m subscribers

Airtel has announced that it has surpassed 650 million mobile subscribers globally, becoming the second-largest telecommunications operator in the world by customer base.

Airtel made this known in a statement on Saturday, April 4, 2026.

It said the milestone reflected a network of immense scale, with the capacity to serve diverse markets with consistent quality and deliver customer experience driven by sustained innovation.

The company disclosed that in Nigeria, it had significantly expanded its network infrastructure over the past three years, increasing its site count from just above 13,000 to nearly 17,200.

It added that more than 1,560 sites were deployed in the last 12 months, deepening capacity in high-demand corridors and extending high-speed coverage to previously underserved regions.

According to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nigeria recorded 145,141 base stations across 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks as of December 2025.

Airtel said, as an organisation, it accounted for 46,918 base-station layers, reflecting its contribution to the country’s radio access network and efforts to absorb rising data consumption.

Airtel said nearly 99 per cent of its sites in Nigeria are now 4G-enabled, positioning it among operators with near-ubiquitous high-speed broadband coverage.

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The telecommunication company added that thousands of sites had been upgraded in the past year to enhance capacity, speed and network stability during peak usage.

It noted that Nigeria’s internet penetration had recently surpassed 50 per cent, with Airtel recording one of the largest monthly increases in new internet subscribers.

The growth, it said, was driven by network upgrades across states and rural corridors.

On infrastructure resilience, Airtel said it was advancing plans for a second submarine cable internet breakout point at Kwa Ibo in Akwa Ibom State.

Airtel said the project, linked to the 2Africa cable system rollout, would provide faster and more resilient connectivity, in line with global best practices in network redundancy and diversity.

The company also highlighted the growth of its digital finance platform, SmartCash, which it said now served over three million active users in Nigeria.

It added that the platform was supported by an extensive agent network and digital services designed to lower barriers to financial transactions and savings.

The company added that its retail distribution network included about 4,000 exclusive outlets nationwide, bringing services, support and products closer to customers in urban and rural communities.

Airtel reaffirmed its commitment to sustained innovation, including expansion of fibre backbone, advanced mobile broadband and future-ready services such as satellite-enabled solutions and enterprise digital platforms.