Top 10 Telecom Operators in Africa by Subscribers in 2026

Published: October 31, 2026

5 Key Facts

1. MTN Group is Africa's biggest telecom operator by mobile subscribers. MTN reported 307.2 million customers across 16 markets at 31 December 2025, 69.9 million ahead of the next operator.
2. The top four operators hold more than three quarters of this top ten's total. MTN, Vodacom, Airtel Africa and Orange Africa and Middle East together report 908.0 million mobile customers, 77.5 percent of the top ten total of 1,171.8 million.
3. Two South African groups take the top two spots. MTN (307.2 million) and Vodacom (237.3 million) are both headquartered in South Africa, and Vodacom's total already includes Safaricom's customers in Kenya and Ethiopia.
4. Airtel Africa edges Orange for third place. Airtel Africa reported 183.5 million customers at 31 March 2026, 3.5 million ahead of Orange Africa and Middle East at 180 million mobile customers at 30 September 2026. On a like-for-like December 2025 snapshot the two were effectively tied at about 179 million each, so the third place gap is a matter of reporting dates, not a runaway lead.
5. The gap between the giants and the rest is wide. The operator in seventh place, Yas Group, has 45.5 million subscribers, less than one sixth of MTN's base, and the tenth place operator, Mobilis, has 23.5 million.

The big picture: Africa's mobile market is dominated by four large groups, then falls away sharply. MTN alone serves more customers (307.2 million) than the bottom five operators in this top ten combined (190.0 million). The rest of the ranking is a contest between single-country champions and smaller regional groups, and the order at the bottom is close enough that a single quarter of SIM cleanups can change it. Subscriber counts here are mobile customers as each group reports them, not unique people. Many Africans carry two SIM cards. Regulators also regularly remove unverified lines, which is why some totals fall even when a network is growing.

Note: Maroc Telecom's 73.8 million is the sum of its two reported mobile components for full-year 2025 (Morocco 19.2 million plus Moov Africa 54.6 million). Ethio telecom's 72.1 million is its active mobile subscriber count; its total customer base across all services was 90.12 million, which is stated in its section. Globacom's 23.6 million is its Nigeria figure from Nigerian regulator data; Benin subscribers are not separately disclosed and would not change its rank. Mobilis's figure is the oldest in the table (third quarter of 2025), so its tenth place, 0.1 million behind Globacom, should be read as effectively tied.

Selected Details

1. MTN Group: 307.2 million customers, and still growing

MTN Group reported 307.2 million customers at 31 December 2025, up 5.6 percent on the year, after adding 16.3 million net new customers. The group operates in 16 markets, led by Nigeria and Ghana, and passed the 300 million milestone in the final year of its Ambition 2025 strategy. It also reported 172.6 million active data customers and 69.5 million monthly Mobile Money customers. MTN Nigeria alone accounts for about 93 million of the group total, which is why MTN's country subsidiaries are not listed separately in this ranking.

2. Vodacom Group: 237.3 million customers, including Safaricom

Vodacom Group reported 237.3 million customers at 31 March 2026, up 12.3 percent on the year, including Safaricom on a 100 percent basis. Vodacom operates in eight markets, including South Africa, Egypt, Tanzania, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo, plus Safaricom's Kenya and Ethiopia operations. Because Vodacom's headline total already counts every Safaricom customer, Safaricom is not ranked separately here: counting it again would double count about 71.6 million customers. Vodacom also reported 103.0 million financial services customers, including Safaricom.

3. Airtel Africa: 183.5 million customers, its biggest ever annual gain

Airtel Africa reported a customer base of 183.5 million at 31 March 2026, up 10.5 percent, after adding 17.4 million net new customers in the year, its highest annual addition to date. The group operates in 14 sub-Saharan African countries, with Nigeria its largest market. Data customers rose to 84.2 million, and Airtel Money customers rose to 54.1 million. Airtel Nigeria, with about 61 million subscribers, is a subsidiary of the group and is not listed separately.

4. Orange Africa and Middle East: 180 million mobile customers

Orange reported 180 million mobile customers in Africa and the Middle East at 30 September 2026, up 4.2 percent on the year. The segment covers 18 countries, including Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Egypt and Jordan, so the figure is a regional segment total, not an Africa-only total, and that scope is stated here rather than hidden. Orange Money customers in the region reached 54 million, and 4G customers reached 98 million. Orange's West African subsidiary Sonatel is not listed separately, because its customers sit inside Orange's regional total.

5. Maroc Telecom: 73.8 million mobile subscribers

Maroc Telecom reported 19.2 million mobile customers in Morocco and 54.6 million mobile customers across its Moov Africa subsidiaries in its full-year 2025 results, a combined mobile total of 73.8 million. The group operates in Morocco plus ten African countries under the Moov Africa brand, including Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Chad and Benin. Its total customer base across all services was 76.8 million. That higher number includes fixed-line and internet customers. This ranking uses the mobile-only sum of 73.8 million, so Maroc Telecom is counted on the same basis as the other operators. Maroc Telecom is majority owned by the United Arab Emirates group e&, but e& itself is not ranked here because it reports a global total, not an Africa total, and its African footprint is already represented by Maroc Telecom.

6. Ethio telecom: 72.1 million active mobile subscribers

Ethio telecom reported 72.09 million active mobile subscribers in its 2025/26 financial year, out of a total customer base of 90.12 million across all of its services. The Ethiopian state-owned operator serves a market where it long held a monopoly before Safaricom Ethiopia entered. Apart from Telkom and Mobilis, it is the only single-country operator in the top ten. The gap between its total customer base and its active mobile count is the largest definitional warning in this ranking. Both numbers are stated here for that reason. On total customers Ethio telecom would rank fifth, ahead of Maroc Telecom. On active mobile subscribers, the measure used for every row in this table, it ranks sixth, 1.7 million behind Maroc Telecom. Its Telebirr mobile money platform reported 60.59 million registered users in the same year.

7. Yas Group: 45.5 million mobile subscribers across 11 markets

Yas Group, formerly AXIAN Telecom, reported 45.5 million mobile subscribers at 30 June 2026, after rebranding its mobile operations under the Yas name in 2024 and adopting Yas Group as its corporate name in September 2026. The group operates in 11 markets, including Tanzania, Madagascar, Senegal, Togo and the Comoros. Its full-year 2025 total was 43.8 million subscribers. Yas is the largest operator in this ranking that is not one of the four giants, and it shows how a regional group built from smaller markets can reach the top ten without a single huge home market.

8. Telkom South Africa: 25.3 million mobile subscribers

Telkom South Africa reported a total mobile subscriber base of 25.3 million at 30 June 2026, up 6.1 percent on the year, with mobile data subscribers at 19.8 million. Telkom, which is partly state-owned, is South Africa's third mobile operator, behind MTN and Vodacom, and its growth has been driven by prepaid data offers. It also reported mobile service revenue growth of 6.4 percent in the same quarter. Telkom's place in this ranking is easy to miss, because it operates in only one country, but its single market is large enough to put it ahead of every Algerian and Nigerian operator except the MTN and Airtel groups.

9. Globacom: 23.6 million active subscriptions in Nigeria

Globacom reported 23.58 million active mobile subscriptions in Nigeria in August 2026, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission. Globacom, known as Glo, is Nigeria's third largest operator, behind MTN Nigeria and Airtel Nigeria, both of which are counted inside their parent groups and not listed separately. Globacom's reported base fell sharply after Nigeria's SIM registration cleanup removed tens of millions of unverified lines in 2024, which is why its current figure is far below the 60 million-plus totals it reported before that cleanup. Its lead over the next operator is only about 0.1 million on the latest regulator counts, so the ninth and tenth places in this ranking should be read as effectively tied.

10. Mobilis: 23.5 million mobile subscribers in Algeria

Mobilis reported 23.48 million mobile subscribers in the third quarter of 2025, according to Algeria's regulator ARPCE. Mobilis, the mobile brand of state-owned Algerie Telecom, is Algeria's largest operator, with about 42 percent of the Algerian mobile market. Its total is measured on the same regulator basis as Djezzy, which just misses this ranking, which makes the Algerian pair directly comparable. Mobilis trails Globacom by only about 0.1 million on the latest available counts, and its figure is the oldest in the table, so a single quarter of growth by either operator could swap the ninth and tenth places.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the biggest telecom operator in Africa by subscribers in 2026?

MTN Group, with 307.2 million customers reported at 31 December 2025. Vodacom Group is second at 237.3 million.

Why is Safaricom not in the top ten?

Safaricom is not listed separately because Vodacom Group's headline total of 237.3 million customers already includes Safaricom on a 100 percent basis. Counting Safaricom again would double count about 71.6 million customers. The same rule applies to MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Moov Africa and Sonatel, which are all counted inside their parent groups.

Are these subscriber counts the same as individual people?

No. Subscriber counts count SIM cards and customer accounts, not unique people. Many Africans use two SIM cards, so the total number of subscriptions is higher than the number of individual mobile users. Regulators also remove unverified SIM cards from time to time, which can cut a reported total even when the network is performing well.

Why do the figures have different dates?

Telecom groups report on different financial calendars: MTN and Airtel Africa report to December and March year ends, Vodacom to March, Orange quarterly, and some regulators quarterly. This ranking uses each group's latest reported figure at the time of writing, and the table states the as-of date for every row, so no figure is presented as if it were measured on the same day.

Which operator just missed the top ten?

Djezzy of Algeria, at 17.76 million mobile subscribers in the third quarter of 2025, is the closest verified miss. Africell Group, at about 15 to 16 million subscribers across its markets, and Telecom Egypt's WE mobile base, at about 15.2 million in the second quarter of 2026, also miss the cut. Two estimates are deliberately not in the table. Inwi of Morocco, at about 19.7 million on a single analyst estimate, and e& Egypt, at about 22.6 million on a derived market-share calculation, are both unverified as disclosed company figures. Neither displaces a verified row. Both mean the ninth and tenth places should not be read as unassailable.

Data Sources

• MTN Group, FY2025 results: 307.2 million customers at 31 December 2025.
• Vodacom Group, FY2026 results (year ended 31 March 2026): 237.3 million customers, including Safaricom on a 100 percent basis.
• Airtel Africa, results for the year ended 31 March 2026: 183.5 million customers.
• Orange, financial information at 30 September 2026 (Q3 2026): 180 million mobile customers in Africa and the Middle East.
• Maroc Telecom, FY2025 results presentation: Morocco mobile 19.2 million, Moov Africa mobile 54.6 million, group customer base 76.8 million.
• Ethio telecom, FY2025/26 performance report: total customers 90.12 million, active mobile subscribers 72.09 million, Telebirr 60.59 million users.
• Yas Group, H1 2026 reporting: 45.5 million mobile subscribers at 30 June 2026.
• Telkom SA, trading update for the quarter ended 30 June 2026 (SENS): total mobile subscriber base 25.3 million.
• Nigerian Communications Commission, industry statistics, December 2025 and August 2026 (via press reporting): Globacom 22.2 million in December 2025, rising to 23.58 million in August 2026.
• ARPCE, Observatory of the Mobile Telephony Market, Q3 2025 (Algeria): Mobilis 23,477,942 subscribers, Djezzy 17,758,639 subscribers.

Methodology

This ranking counts operator groups once, at the level at which they report a consolidated customer base, and ranks them on mobile subscribers or mobile customers as reported. Country subsidiaries are not listed separately when their customers are already inside a parent group's total: that excludes Safaricom (inside Vodacom), MTN Nigeria (inside MTN Group), Airtel Nigeria (inside Airtel Africa), Moov Africa (inside Maroc Telecom) and Sonatel (inside Orange Africa and Middle East). Global groups that do not report an Africa total, such as Vodafone Group, e& and Zain Group, are not ranked on their global totals; their African footprints are represented by Vodacom, Maroc Telecom and Zain Sudan respectively, where a verifiable Africa figure exists. Orange is counted on its reported Africa and Middle East segment, because Orange does not headline an Africa-only mobile total; the segment includes a small number of Middle East markets, and Orange still ranks fourth on any Africa-only estimate. Maroc Telecom's mobile total is the sum of its two reported mobile components for full-year 2025 (Morocco 19.2 million plus Moov Africa 54.6 million). Ethio telecom's figure is its active mobile subscriber count, not its broader total customer base, which is stated in its section; on total customers Ethio telecom would rank fifth, not sixth. Figures are each group's latest reported figure at the time of writing, so as-of dates differ by row and are stated in the table; no figure has been adjusted to a common date. Subscriber counts count SIM cards and accounts, not unique people. Internal links: see also African Exponent's rankings of African companies by revenue and biggest companies by market capitalisation, where MTN, Vodacom and other operators also appear.