Driven by policy reforms, private capital, mobile financial services, and global partnerships, Africa’s telecom transformation is creating one of the most dynamic telecommunications markets. The competition that once seemed distant is now shaping a future where connectivity, innovation, and inclusion go hand in hand.
By Stanley Wamangu
2026 offers a bright outlook for Africa’s telecommunications market, which appears to be entering a new frontier, one defined by healthier competition, regulatory support, entry of new players in the market and diversification of services. This trend is not only improving connectivity, but also paving the way for crucial regulatory reforms in a sector previously dominated by huge players.
Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and other nations are projected to have faster internet speeds driven by significant investments in fiber-optic networks, submarine cables, and 5G spectrum deployment. Many of these upgrades are being led by both private operators and new infrastructure consortia racing to meet surging demand for video, fintech, and data-intensive services. The landing of additional submarine cables and expansion of terrestrial fiber backbones are expected to reduce latency and wholesale bandwidth costs. Collectively, these developments could narrow the digital divide within and between African cities while strengthening the continent’s competitiveness in the global digital economy.
The sector, worth an estimated $66.61 billion in 2025 according to the Africa Entertainment and Telecommunication – Market Share Analysis, Industry Trends & Statistics Growth Forecasts (2025- 2030) published in May 2025, has seen more mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships with international tech companies and venturing into new markets. Nairobi-based and East Africa’s most profitable company, Safaricom, made inroads into the Ethiopian market in 2023 with its mobile money service M-Pesa. Despite facing stiff competition from Ethiopia’s Telebir, which boasts of 54.84 million subscribers according to Ethio telecom’s performance report for the fiscal year July 2024 to June 2025 and the three-year performance of the Lead Growth Strategy, which was publicly announced at the Science Museum on July 25, 2025. Safaricom plans to introduce loans and savings products in Ethiopia to cash in on the nation’s opening up of its financial sector.
“We’re engaging the government and key stakeholders to navigate market repair caused by currency reforms, which is necessary for a sustainable industry into the future” said its CEO Peter Ndegwa during an investors’ briefing on 9 May 2025 in Nairobi.
Regional integration initiatives such as the World Bank’s East Africa Regional Digital Integration Project- EARDIP, African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa and the Smart Africa Alliance’s regional digital frameworks, are actively aiming to make cross-border data flows and broadband connectivity easier. This structural background enables a genuinely regional telecoms market.
The entry of new players into the African telecoms market continues to shape the increasingly competitive telecommunications market. International telcos and space-based ventures are reconfiguring connectivity options and competitive dynamics. Meta has opted for Safaricom as its Kenyan landing partner for its planned Daraja undersea cable linking Oman to Kenya. Airtel Africa, on the other hand, has partnered with SpaceX’s Starlink to deliver high-speed satellite internet to remote schools, hospitals, and communities where setting up fibre or building towers is costly or challenging across its 14 African markets. Starlink and Airtel Uganda have launched a partnership in 2026 while licensing for the American based satellite internet entity is underway.
“I informed the media that the licensing process for Starlink Global Internet Services Limited is still ongoing until all regulatory conditions are fulfilled,” said Uganda Communications Commission Executive Director Nyomi Tembo during a press engagement at the Uganda Media Centre on 5 January 2026
Starlink reached a new milestone in Kenya, recording 19,460 active users as of September 2025, marking the satellite provider’s highest subscriber count since entering the Kenyan market. U.S startup Spacecoin has received regulatory approval from the Communications Authority of Kenya to provide satellite IoT monitoring services, marking its entry into East Africa’s largest digital economy.
“These agreements confirm that Spacecoin has moved beyond being just an idea, but a real movement with momentum that will unlock permissionless connectivity through open-sourced satellite technology, powered by people and built for people,” Spacecoin founder Tae Oh said.
The Kenya pilot forms part of its African rollouts that began in Nigeria, where it is operating under an existing license from the Nigerian Communications Commission as it targets rural connectivity gaps in Africa’s largest telecom market. Globacom (GLO), the telecom founded by Nigerian business mogul Mike Adenuga, continues expanding its footprint in Africa’s most populous nation with network rollouts and new customer-friendly products, reinforcing its role in closing digital gaps even as competition intensifies. In South Sudan, the locally owned operator Digitel is challenging long-established foreign players like MTN and Zain by building its own infrastructure, launching 5G pilots and tailoring services to local needs. Meanwhile, Strive Masiyiwa through Econet/Cassava is driving broader digital infrastructure projects across Africa, including extensive fibre networks and emerging AI and data platforms that aim to upgrade the continent’s telecom and tech ecosystems in 2026.
Airtel has been ranked Kenya’s most affordable mobile network, with 47.1% of users in the CA’s latest Customer Satisfaction Survey citing it as best on cost, well ahead of Jamii (26.8%), Telkom (25%), and Safaricom (19.6%). The findings highlight a growing shift in consumer preference toward value and experience over brand size, as Safaricom trails rivals on affordability, quality of service, and promotional appeal despite its dominant market share.
Airtel Money is set to launch an overdraft service in Kenya, enabling users to complete transactions even when their wallet balances are low, a direct challenge to Safaricom’s Fuliza and a fresh play in the growing mobile credit market. The service is expected to launch widely in 2026, offering enhanced connectivity via satellites even in areas without traditional tower coverage.
“We are building the foundation for a truly digital Africa — from mobile connectivity to fintech inclusion,” Taldar said.
According to GSMA Intelligence, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria and Ivory Coast account for 55% cellular connections in Sub-Saharan Africa.
