Airtel Africa acquired spectrum to expand its 4G network in the Democratic Republic of Congo to support growing data demand in the country.
In a stock exchange filing, Airtel Africa detailed that it acquired 58MHz of additional spectrum spread across the 900MHz, 1800MHz, 2100MHz and 2600MHz bands for US$42 million.
The licence for spectrum in the 2100MHz band runs until September 2032, and all other licenses are valid until July 2036.
The DRC is Airtel’s largest country by area and second-largest by population. The investment shows Airtel's “continued confidence in the tremendous opportunity” in the DRC by expanding digital inclusion through connectivity.
The Bharti Airtel subsidiary said in the filing: “This additional spectrum will support our 4G expansion in the market for both mobile data and fixed wireless home broadband capability, providing significant capacity to accommodate our continued strong data growth in the country.”
Airtel Africa reported profits after tax doubled to US$514 million in its recent financial quarter.