Airtel Kenya has received a 25-year license, ending uncertainty over its operations after being offered a temporary permit until January 2027.

The telecoms operator said the Communication Authority of Kenya (CA) has offered it a long-term permit under the unified licensing framework (ULF) after paying an undisclosed fee.

The firm has in the past decade fought with the regulator over its licence, which initially expired in 2015.

For years, it operated with a permit it inherited from YuMobile, a rival operator it bought in 2014 after the firm exited the Kenyan market.

But it inked an out-of-court deal in 2022 with the telecoms operator, which triggered renewal of its expired licence from 2015 to 2025 and later received the two-year temporary permit to January next year.

The fresh long-term licence offers Airtel greater certainty in its Kenya operations.

“I am pleased to tell you that we have successfully renewed our licence for another 25 years, which assures us that we are here to stay,” said Airtel Networks Kenya managing director Djibril Tobe.

“We have stronger confidence in Kenya than ever, and we don’t think as investors that uncertainty is an issue for us. The approval is for one global technologically neutral licence.”

Airtel’s rival, Safaricom, also announced earlier that it had been offered a 25-year licence.

Previously, the two operators had paid Sh2.3 billion for 10-year permits each.

Safaricom’s spending on licences in Kenya rose by Sh1.7 billion for the financial year ended March 2026 to Sh14.66 billion, as the firm disclosed the 25-year permit.

“This provides long-term certainty and strengthens our ability to invest with confidence and reinforces the platform from which we continue delivering on our purpose,” Adil Khawaja, Safaricom’s board chairman, said in May this year.

“As we celebrate our first 25 years, we have secured a licence to operate for the next 25 years under a unified framework from the CA.”

Airtel is now waiting for regulatory approval for its deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink to operate a direct-to-cell service.

Airtel Africa has partnered with SpaceX to introduce Starlink’s direct satellite-to-mobile service to all its 14 markets.

It will start with delivering texts and calls over the internet, like WhatsApp, and upgrade in 2028 to allow for direct phone calls and SMS in a bid to extend access to remote areas.

Telecoms operators in Kenya currently rely on ground-based and rooftop cell towers, and the use of direct satellite-to-mobile services is testing the CA’s regulatory regime.

“All the requirements in terms of security, in terms of customer satisfaction, process and maintenance have been satisfied. It’s now a matter of administrative procedures, but we are very confident that within weeks, the CA should be coming to us with our approval,” said Mr Tobe.

The CA approval will mark the first time Kenya will authorise a satellite operator collaborating with a wireless carrier to provide supplemental telecommunications coverage from space on some flexible-use spectrum bands allocated to terrestrial service.

It is expected to lean on a framework for supplemental coverage from space to extend the reach of wireless networks to remote areas while preserving high service quality in 4G and 5G networks and preventing harmful interference.

Safaricom’s South African parent company, Vodacom, also signed an Africa-wide deal with SpaceX last November, which will see the Kenyan firm integrate Starlink’s satellite technology for data relay into its mobile network.

In this case, traditional cell towers are equipped with a satellite terminal, which transmits data directly to the LEO constellation, which then routes it to the core network.

→ kmuiruri@ke.nationmedia.com

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