Airtel Africa said its Tanzanian subsidiary Airtel Tanzania has purchased 140MHz of additional spectrum from the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority (TCRA) for US$60.1-million.

The company said the spectrum is spread across the 2600MHz (2 blocks of 2x15 MHz) and 3500MHz bands, and this will help it expand its broadband capability including 5G rollout.

A statement released to the media reads: “This additional spectrum will support our network expansion in the market for both mobile data and fixed wireless home based broadband capability, including 5G rollout, providing significant capacity to accommodate our continued strong data growth in the country. This investment reflects our confidence in the opportunity inherent in the Tanzanian market, supporting the local communities and economy through furthering digital inclusion and connectivity.”

Airtel Tanzania is the country’s second largest telecommunications service provider after Vodacom, followed by Tigo.

Airtel Africa has a presence in 14 African countries including the DRC, Kenya, Zambia, Rwanda, Malawi and Uganda where the company is working to establish 5G networks and expand the existing 4G networks.

In March 2020, Airtel acquired 10MHz of spectrum in the 900MHz in Nigeria for fee of US$94-million.

In January last year , Airtel Zambia was awarded spectrum on the 800 MHz frequency band at a cost of ZMK12.5-million paving the way for the company to rollout 5G network in the Southern African country.

In June 2022, Airtel also acquired a 58 MHz spectrum in the DRC for US$42-million in order to promote the country’s 4G market expansion for mobile data and wireless home internet.

Within the same month, Airtel paid US$40-million to the Communications Commission of Kenya (CAK) for a 60MHz of 2600MHz spectrum.