Airtel Africa confirmed its Kenyan unit bought 60MHz of additional spectrum in the 2600 MHz band from the Communications Authority of Kenya for US$40 million, a move to expand its 4G network.
In a statement, Airtel detailed the licence is valid from this month (July) for the next 15 years. The company will use the extra capacity to boost fixed wireless and mobile data services. It also enables the future rollout of 5G services in Kenya which will support the continued trend of high data usage in the country, said Airtel.
Airtel Africa has a presence in 14 countries across the continent and its Kenyan unit one of its largest revenue drivers.
This latest move follows the Bharti Airtel subsidiary spending US$42 million in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, also to boost 4G services.