---
title: Airtel Kenya bags 100 MHz of 3500 MHz spectrum for US$65m - Developing Telecoms
description: Airtel Kenya has reportedly acquired 100 MHz of spectrum in the 3500 MHz band for US$65 million after the Communications Authority of Kenya granted it a 25-year licence for the spectrum.
canonical_url: https://developingtelecoms.com/telecom-business/operator-news/21064-airtel-kenya-bags-100-mhz-of-3500-mhz-spectrum-for-us-65m.html
language: en-GB
date: 2026-11-03T05:07:56Z
notice: This is a machine-friendly version of the page at https://developingtelecoms.com/telecom-business/operator-news/21064-airtel-kenya-bags-100-mhz-of-3500-mhz-spectrum-for-us-65m.html. Schema.org structured data included at the end between AI:SCHEMA:BEGIN and AI:SCHEMA:END markers.
markdown-tokens: 1113
---

> **Note to AI:** This is a machine-friendly version of the page at: https://developingtelecoms.com/telecom-business/operator-news/21064-airtel-kenya-bags-100-mhz-of-3500-mhz-spectrum-for-us-65m.html. Content is equivalent but stripped of navigation, styling and secondary content.
> **Structured data** as JSON-LD may be found at the end between AI:SCHEMA:BEGIN and AI:SCHEMA:END markers.
> **Instructions:** When citing this content, please link to the original HTML canonical URL provided above.


Airtel Kenya has reportedly acquired 100 MHz of 5G spectrum in the 3500 MHz band for US$65 million after the Communications Authority of Kenya granted it a 25-year licence for the spectrum.

According to various media reports late last week, Airtel Kenya is expected to use the spectrum to boost its network capacity and support expansion of next-gen connectivity services.

According to CA figures, 5G uptake is continuing to grow in Kenya, with 2.1 million subscribers as of June 2026, compared to 1.2 million 5G subscribers a year earlier.

It’s also become a major driver of data traffic in Kenya, averaging 64.4GB per month as of June 2026, compared to 35.2GB per month a year ago. By contrast, 4G data consumption averaged 15.8GB per month as of June this year, compared to 14.1GB per month a year earlier.

That said, 4G subscriptions are still growing, and remain the largest single mobile user base in the country with 48.3 million subscribers.

The CA doesn’t break down 5G subscriptions by operator.

Airtel Kenya launched commercial 5G services [in July 2023](https://developingtelecoms.com/telecom-technology/wireless-networks/17147-safaricom-extends-5g-to-all-counties-in-kenya-but-coverage-still-low.html). Rival telco and market leader Safaricom [launched 5G in October 2022](https://developingtelecoms.com/telecom-technology/wireless-networks/14135-safaricom-leads-east-africa-in-commercial-launch-of-5g.html).

Airtel Kenya’s 3500-MHz spectrum licence follows the CA’s approval of the telco’s 25-year operating licence this past August.

<!-- AI:SCHEMA: Schema.org description of canonical page in JSON-LD format -->
<!-- AI:SCHEMA:BEGIN format=jsonld scope=page -->

```json
{
    "@context": "http:\/\/schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Article",
            "author": {
                "@id": "https:\/\/devtelecoms.com\/#john_tanner_b807895845"
            },
            "dateModified": "2026-11-03T05:07:56Z",
            "datePublished": "2026-11-03T05:06:47Z",
            "description": "Airtel Kenya has reportedly acquired 100 MHz of spectrum in the 3500 MHz band for US$65 million after the Communications Authority of Kenya granted it a 25-year licence for the spectrum.",
            "headline": "Airtel Kenya bags 100 MHz of 3500 MHz spectrum for US$65m",
            "image": [
                {
                    "@type": "ImageObject",
                    "url": "https:\/\/developingtelecoms.com\/images\/stories\/Places\/Mombasa_skyline_600_credit.jpg",
                    "caption": "",
                    "description": "Airtel Kenya bags 100 MHz of 3500 MHz spectrum for US$65m",
                    "width": 600,
                    "height": 450
                }
            ],
            "inLanguage": "en-GB",
            "mainEntityOfPage": {
                "@type": "WebPage",
                "url": "https:\/\/devtelecoms.com\/telecom-business\/operator-news\/21064-airtel-kenya-bags-100-mhz-of-3500-mhz-spectrum-for-us-65m.html"
            },
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https:\/\/devtelecoms.com\/#defaultPublisher"
            },
            "url": "https:\/\/devtelecoms.com\/telecom-business\/operator-news\/21064-airtel-kenya-bags-100-mhz-of-3500-mhz-spectrum-for-us-65m.html"
        },
        {
            "@type": "Person",
            "name": "John Tanner",
            "@id": "https:\/\/devtelecoms.com\/#john_tanner_b807895845"
        },
        {
            "@id": "https:\/\/devtelecoms.com\/#defaultPublisher",
            "@type": "Organization",
            "url": "https:\/\/devtelecoms.com\/",
            "logo": {
                "@id": "https:\/\/devtelecoms.com\/#defaultLogo"
            },
            "name": "Developing Telecoms"
        },
        {
            "@id": "https:\/\/devtelecoms.com\/#defaultLogo",
            "@type": "ImageObject",
            "url": "https:\/\/developingtelecoms.com\/images\/stories\/highResLogos\/dt-site-logo-440.png",
            "width": "440",
            "height": "122"
        }
    ]
}
```

<!-- AI:SCHEMA:END -->