By Peace Udugba -The daily torch media
Bharti Airtel has reached a major milestone in its global operations, surpassing 650 million mobile subscribers worldwide. The achievement positions the telecom giant as the second-largest telecommunications operator globally by customer base.
This milestone reflects Airtel’s vast network scale, its ability to serve diverse markets with consistent quality, and its continued focus on innovation-driven customer experience.
In Nigeria, Airtel has significantly accelerated infrastructure expansion in recent years. Over the past three years, the company has grown its national site count from just over 13,000 to nearly 17,200, including more than 1,560 new sites added in the last year alone. This expansion has strengthened capacity in high-demand areas while extending high-speed coverage to previously underserved communities.
According to data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nigeria recorded 145,141 base stations across 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks as of December 2025. Airtel accounts for 46,918 of these base-station layers, underscoring its substantial contribution to the country’s telecom infrastructure and its readiness to meet rising data demand.
Nearly 99 percent of Airtel Nigeria’s sites are now 4G-enabled, placing the operator among those with near-ubiquitous high-speed broadband coverage. Thousands of sites have also been upgraded in the past year to improve speed and network stability, particularly during peak usage periods.
This growth is helping to drive Nigeria’s increasing internet adoption. NCC figures show internet penetration has now exceeded 50 percent, with Airtel recording one of the highest monthly gains in new internet subscribers, largely fueled by ongoing network upgrades across states and rural areas.
Strategic Connectivity and Redundancy
Airtel is also addressing a key challenge in Nigeria’s digital ecosystem—dependence on a single international internet gateway. The company is progressing plans to establish a second submarine cable internet breakout point at Kwa Ibo in Akwa Ibom State as part of the rollout of the 2Africa Cable System.
The initiative is expected to enhance connectivity speed and improve network resilience nationwide.
Digital Finance at Scale
Airtel’s digital finance platform, SmartCash, is gaining momentum in Nigeria’s mobile money space, with over 3 million active users. Supported by a growing agent network, the platform continues to expand access to financial services, enabling easier transactions and savings for millions of Nigerians.
Expanding Retail Reach
Across the country, Airtel operates one of the most extensive retail networks in the telecom sector, with about 4,000 exclusive outlets. These outlets provide products, services, and customer support in both urban centres and remote communities, strengthening customer engagement and accessibility.
As Nigeria’s digital economy evolves, Airtel says it remains committed to innovation across its operations—from expanding fibre infrastructure and enhancing mobile broadband to exploring satellite-enabled services and enterprise-grade digital solutions. These efforts aim to ensure that connectivity, commerce, and digital creativity continue to thrive across Nigeria and beyond.
