Airtel Uganda reported a robust financial performance for the financial year ending December 31, 2025, with a 41% increase in profit after tax to $124.3 million (UGX 446.8 billion), owing largely to a sharp increase in data revenue and stringent cost management.
The second-largest telecom provider in Uganda also announced overall revenue of $620 million (UGX 2.23 trillion), up 13.3% from $548 million (UGX 1.97 trillion) in 2024, as increased smartphone penetration and digital adoption pushed data to replace voice as its main revenue source.
Soumendra Sahu, Airtel Uganda managing director, said that data income increased by more than 22% to over $306 million (UGX 1.1 trillion), while voice revenue increased moderately to $292 million (UGX 1.05 trillion) due to price constraints and last year's interconnection fee decreases.
“This exceptional performance reflects our unwavering commitment to innovation, customer satisfaction, and operational excellence. Through our relentless focus on improving the customer experience, we have reported a 13.3% growth in revenue and a 24.5% growth in EBITDA, with mar-gins expanding to 54.9%,” he said.
Operating profit rose 35% to $236 million (UGX 849.2 billion), delivering a healthy 37.7% operating margin. EBITDA climbed to $342 million (UGX 1.23 trillion), supported by operating leverage and efficiency gains even as the company rolled out 258 new 4G sites and 164 additional 5G sites.
By year-end, 100% of its network sites were 4G-enabled, with 5G coverage expanded to 364 sites across major urban centres.
Customer growth remained robust with the total subscriber base rising to 19.2 million, up nearly 14% year-on-year, while data customers increased 19.6% to 8.7 million, underlining Uganda’s ac-celerating digital transformation.
Airtel Uganda, the country’s second-largest telecom operator after MTN, also strengthened its balance sheet. Net debt to EBITDA improved to 1.5x from 1.8x, reflecting solid cash generation of $281 million (UGX 1.01 trillion) from operations.
he Board declared a final dividend of UGX 3.55 per share, bringing the total FY2025 payout to UGX 11.15 per share, a massive 41.5% dividend in-crease.
Chairman, Hannington Karuhanga, stated that the results show consistent revenue growth supported by careful cost control and ongoing investment in network infrastructure.
For the year ahead, Airtel Uganda plans to accelerate fibre expansion, deepen 5G rollout, and ex-plore satellite partnerships to bridge rural coverage gaps. With data traffic up 46% and usage per customer rising 14.8%, the operator is positioning itself at the centre of Uganda’s broadband and financial inclusion ambitions in 2026 and beyond.
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