MTN targets 30 million African homes in broadband growth push

MTN Group plans to connect between 20 million and 30 million homes across Africa over the next five years, betting that demand for reliable home internet will become one of its biggest growth opportunities on the continent.

Speaking during an investor call on Monday, chief executive Ralph Mupita said the telecom giant sees a major shift underway in how Africans use connectivity, with more digital activity moving from mobile-only usage to households and small businesses that require stable broadband access.

The push into home connectivity is part of MTN’s broader strategic update that positions connectivity, fintech, and digital infrastructure as the company’s three core platforms for growth across its African markets.

“We see a material home opportunity of 20 to 30 million homes connected by MTN using different technologies,” Mupita told investors.

MTN Nigeria, for instance, is continuing to scale its broadband footprint, adding more than 281,000 home users in the third quarter of 2025 alone, while total investment in fibre expansion has climbed to about ₦1 trillion (around $715 million).

For decades, telecom investment in Africa has largely focused on expanding mobile coverage, enabling hundreds of millions of people to access voice and internet services through smartphones. But as digital services expand and more work, education, and entertainment shift online, telecom operators increasingly see household broadband as the next frontier of growth.

The shift was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed the limitations of mobile-only connectivity for remote work, online learning, and home entertainment.

“A lot of the investment over the last three decades has been about mobility,” Mupita said. “But over time, we think homes will account for a predominant share of digital workloads.”

To achieve its target, MTN plans to deploy a mix of technologies, including fixed wireless access (FWA) and fibre-to-the-home (FTTH), depending on the economics and network capacity in each market.

Fixed wireless allows telecom operators to deliver broadband to homes using existing mobile network infrastructure, often making it faster and cheaper to deploy than fibre. Fibre networks, by contrast, offer higher speeds but require significant upfront investment.

Mupita said MTN would adopt a technology-agnostic approach, choosing whichever option delivers the best customer experience and financial returns.

“The right technology that will generate the right economics is the technology we will use,” he said. “We are not particularly precious about a specific technology.”

The home broadband strategy is also linked to MTN’s broader ambition to increase data consumption across its customer base. MTN subscribers use just over 12 gigabytes of data per month on average, significantly lower than markets such as India, where users consume around 30 gigabytes at similar price points.

Mupita said the gap reflects the limited availability of digital services that encourage customers to spend more time and data online.

“Scaling data for us is not just providing raw connectivity,” he said. “It’s about building the digital services that sit on top of the network.”

MTN believes expanding broadband into homes will help unlock new demand for streaming, education platforms, gaming, and other digital services, increasing both data usage and revenue per customer.

Beyond consumers, the company is also targeting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Africa, many of which are only beginning to adopt digital tools.

Mupita said mobile technology can play a major role in helping small traders and entrepreneurs manage payments, inventory, and communication with customers.

“Technology on the phone should be a real enabler,” he said, pointing to the potential for digital tools to support informal businesses across markets such as Nigeria and Ghana.

The home connectivity expansion is one part of MTN’s wider strategy review completed last year. The company says it remains focused on Africa, where it sees long-term growth driven by digital and financial inclusion.

Alongside connectivity, MTN is expanding its fintech ecosystem, which includes mobile money and digital financial services, and investing in digital infrastructure such as data centres and fibre networks.

The infrastructure strategy could also be strengthened if MTN completes its planned acquisition of IHS Towers, one of Africa’s largest telecom tower operators. The proposed deal, valued at about $2.2 billion, would give MTN greater control over key network infrastructure while potentially reducing long-term operating costs.

Mupita said the transaction fits into the company’s broader push to strengthen its digital infrastructure platform, although it still requires regulatory and shareholder approvals.

Despite the expansion plans, the company said it would maintain a disciplined capital allocation strategy, typically investing 15% to 18% of revenue in capital expenditure to sustain and expand its networks.

MTN also plans to prioritise investments that improve customer experience, including the use of artificial intelligence to optimise networks and digital services.

Mupita compared the potential impact of AI on telecommunications to the transformative role mobile phones played in Africa’s development.

“AI will evolve much like electricity did,” he said. “There is potential for Africa to leapfrog again if we allocate capital smartly.”