Airtel Kenya pays $65 million for 5G spectrum for 25 years — Nation Kenya
Airtel Kenya paid 8.4 billion Kenyan shillings, or $65 million, for the right to use radio spectrum for 5G networks in Kenya for 25 years. The company acquired 100 MHz in the 3500 MHz band after approval from the Communications Authority of Kenya, Nation Kenya reports.
Airtel Africa said the deal was concluded under the regulator's standard terms. The 3500 MHz band, also known as the C-band, is the main global band for deploying fifth-generation networks, according to the Global System for Mobile Communications Association.
Expansion of the 5G network
The acquired spectrum is expected to give Airtel additional opportunities to expand its mobile network and strengthen its position in Kenya's broadband market. According to the Communications Authority of Kenya, the number of 5G users in the country reached 2.1 million in June 2026, compared with 1.2 million a year earlier. This represents growth of 75%.
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Airtel's competitor Safaricom commercially launched 5G in Kenya in October 2022 after network testing began in March 2021 in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and other cities with high data consumption. Airtel Kenya joined the 5G rollout in mid-2023. Initially, it outpaced Safaricom in the number of network sites, but in March 2024 Safaricom had 803 sites compared with Airtel's 690.
Questions over the operating licence
The spectrum purchase comes amid prolonged uncertainty surrounding Airtel Kenya's operating licences. The company's original licence expired in 2015, after which the operator used permits obtained along with the acquisition of YuMobile in 2014.
An out-of-court settlement with the regulator in 2022 allowed the licence to be extended until 2025, and the company later received a temporary two-year permit until January 2027. In August 2026, Airtel Kenya Managing Director Jibril Tobe said the company had received a new 25-year operating licence. At the same time, a regulator's notice dated August 28 indicated that the company's applications for a Network Facilities Provider Tier 1 licence and an International Gateway Systems and Services permit were still under consideration.
