14 Facts About Airtel Africa

Airtel Africa plc is a multinational company that provides telecommunications and mobile money services in 14 countries in Africa, primarily in East, Central and West Africa.

Airtel Africa is majority owned by the Indian communication services company Bharti Airtel.

Airtel Africa offers mobile voice and data services as well as mobile money services both nationally and internationally.

In May 2008, it emerged that Airtel was exploring the possibility of buying the MTN Group, a South Africa-based telecommunications company with operations in 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East.

In May 2009, Airtel Africa confirmed that it was again in talks with MTN and both companies agreed to discuss the potential transaction exclusively by 31 July 2009.

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Airtel Africa said "Bharti Airtel Africa Ltd is pleased to announce that it has renewed its effort for a significant partnership with MTN Group".

Bharti Airtel Africa completed the acquisition of on 8 June 2010, making Airtel Africa the world's fifth-largest wireless carrier by subscriber base.

On 18 November 2010, Airtel Africa rebranded itself in India in the first phase of a global rebranding strategy.

Airtel Africa unveiled a new logo with 'airtel' written in lower case.

Bharti Airtel Africa was awarded a licence to operate mobile services by the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency in September 2011.

Airtel Africa operated as Airtel-Tigo following the merger, until it was rebranded as Airtel Rwanda in January 2020.

In January 2016, Airtel Africa announced that it had entered an agreement to sell its operations in Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone to Orange.

In March 2021, Airtel Africa sold an undisclosed minority fraction of its Airtel Money business, to San Francisco-based private equity firm TPG Capital, at a contract price of US$200 million.

Shortly after, in early April 2021, Airtel Africa sold an additional undisclosed minority stake of Airtel Money to Mastercard for US$100 million.