Operators

Africa and the Middle East fuel growth for Orange

Africa and the Middle East fuel growth for Orange

International operator Orange has announced record first half growth driven, it seems, by record growth in Africa and the Middle East, where it is present in 18 countries and serves over 180 million end users.

Indeed, excellent results in Africa and the Middle East apparently saw 10 million new mobile data customers and near 14% revenue growth in an area that is a primary demographic block for the parent group.

Orange adds that it has expanded 4G coverage in the MEA region by 2 points, reaching 80% of the population.

Group earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization after leases (EBITDAaL) reached EUR6.1 billion (about US$6.95 billion) in the first half of 2026, a 5.0% increase, supported by double-digit growth in Africa & Middle East (up by 16.1%) and by what is described as a robust performance in France (up 2.4%) and Europe (up 6.1%).

Orange Business reported an improving trend, with EBITDAaL -6.4% lower, compared to -7.2% in the previous semester. At the Group level, excluding non-recurring items from the first quarter related to wholesale in France, Orange says EBITDAaL growth would be +3.7%.

Orange adds that it has made progress toward its net zero carbon ambition by 2040, reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for scopes 1, 2 and 3 by 32% in the first half compared to 2020, on track with its plan. In Africa, solarised sites increased by 24% year-over-year, now representing 31% of the segment's sites.

So good news all round? Not quite. As Reuters notes, the strong growth in Africa and the Middle East helped offset weakness in Orange’s mature European markets.

That said, Orange now expects its EBITDAaL to grow more than 4% this year, instead of the previously expected level of over 3%. Indeed, the company had already lifted the outlook in April following a stronger-than-expected first quarter. It also raised its organic cash flow target to around EUR4.3 billion (US$4.9 billion) from around EUR4 billion (US$4.6 billion).



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