26 July 2022

Airtel Africa has acquired 60 megahertz of spectrum in the 2600 MHz band in Kenya for a gross amount of US$40m million, with a licence valid for 15 years.

The newly acquired frequencies are expected to support the expansion of its fourth-generation or 4G mobile network capacity in the Horn of Africa nation, both for mobile data and fixed wireless home broadband. They will also enable the operator to roll out 5G in the country in the near future.

This acquisition comes five months after Airtel Kenya and the regulator ended their seven-year legal battle over the operator's previous telecom licence that expired in 2015.

The Communications Authority (CA) subsequently approved the operator's application to replace its temporary license with a new 10-year licence for 2×10 MHz spectrum in the 2100 MHz band.