As the second-largest mobile operator in the country, Airtel Kenya emerges as a telecommunications company with a difference. Ashish Malhotra, Managing Director, discusses how it seeks to connect even the most remote areas in Kenya through innovative, value-for-money solutions.
TRANSFORMING LIVES THROUGH CONNECTIVITY
As the dynamic Kenyan telecommunications (telecoms) industry continues to evolve alongside ever-changing technological and digital trends, it is witnessing a growing demand for faster and more reliable internet services.
The emergence of advanced technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and augmented reality, to name just a few, has led to Kenya becoming East Africa’s leading technological and innovation hub.
Meanwhile, the country stands at the forefront of mobile broadband connectivity and financial services, whilst a robust ICT infrastructure means it is ideally positioned for continued success.
“Any telecoms player in Kenya must be innovative, agile, purpose-driven, and customer-focused,” introduces Ashish Malhotra, Managing Director of leading telecoms company, Airtel Kenya.
As a business that prides itself on embodying these qualities, Airtel Kenya listens to customers and provides them with cutting-edge communication and mobile money services.
Supported by regulatory bodies who carry out the required checks, the telco continues to bridge the digital divide.
“It is exciting to operate in this ecosystem as it provides us with the opportunity to be innovative and lead with best practices to be emulated by other industry players,” Malhotra excites.
Most importantly, Airtel Kenya strives to put its products, services, and operations at the centre of people’s everyday lives by connecting them with friends and family.
CONVENIENCE, VALUE, AND FLEXIBILITY
Providing a comprehensive suite of products ranging from bespoke, high-value customer offerings to mass market and enterprise solutions, home broadband devices and packages, and mobile money applications, Airtel Kenya is privileged to be trusted by over 22 million customers.
It boasts more than 2,300 branches across the country and 400,000 recharge, SIM, and customer service outlets.
“All our products are characterised by various key elements – they are customer-focused, value-driven, and innovative,” Malhotra sums up.
The company’s dedicated sales team is on hand to ensure every customer can access its services, interacting with and experiencing its network regardless of geographical location.
As the second-largest mobile operator in the country, Airtel Kenya strives to be the most valuable service provider by offering convenience, value, and flexibility, creating an important impact and transforming lives.
“A closer look at our products and services will highlight that we are all about innovation; we endeavour to see each of our products resolve communication challenges, fill gaps, and leave users with a feeling of satisfaction,” he explains.
As such, Airtel Kenya prides itself as a purpose-driven company whose innovation and ability to continuously listen to customers sets it apart from the competition.
“These aspects, enabled by our extensive network footprint and relevant products and services, provide value and are ultimately what attract customers,” Malhotra tells us.
VALUE-FOR-MONEY PRODUCTS
Since the Airtel brand set foot in Kenya in 2010, it has been working to achieve its goal of providing customers with value-for-money products and services.
“We offer high-quality, value-driven solutions. As a result, today we are renowned for the provision of value-for-money products aimed at Kenyans across all income levels, with no one left behind,” Malhotra prides.
Demand for internet services in even the most remote regions of the country led Airtel Kenya to devise its Internet Mashinani broadband solutions to advance digital inclusion.
Through this initiative, its subsidised pocket Mi-Fi and 4G smart box routers enable any Kenyan to access value-for-money internet.
Last year, it launched 5G home unlimited data plans with an initial router cost of KES2,999.
Due to immense demand for the product and in the spirit of ensuring more Kenyans could access the internet, the company decided to offer the routers for free aside from the monthly subscription fee.
“In addition, to welcome new phone customers, we offer a complimentary four gigabytes (GB) per month for the first six months of using our network,” he adds.
Elsewhere, the company’s mobile money portfolio, Airtel Money, has been a key area through which it has provided Kenyans with value-for-money currency solutions, especially when compared to equivalent products available on the market.
For example, transferring from one Airtel Money account to another is free, regardless of the amount being sent.
The company also recently launched Smarta Bundles complete with enhanced Airtel Money benefits. Customers subscribed to Smarta Bundles get reimbursed 100 percent of their transaction costs in the form of airtime when conducting bank-to-wallet transactions, making payments to any paybill numbers, and withdrawing money from Airtel Money agents.
“This is a first-of-its-kind product in the market and highlights our commitment towards offering innovative products,” Malhotra outlines.
AN EXTENSIVE NETWORK
In a technologically changing world where the demand for high-speed internet, clearer voice calls, and a desire for Kenya to be part of a wider digital evolution are ever-present, the country’s burgeoning 5G network has taken centre stage.
“We launched our 5G network in July 2023 and had the largest 5G network in Kenya at the time, made up of 372 sites,” Malhotra tells us.
Today, Airtel Kenya has over 700 5G network sites in 39 counties across the country with plans to roll out more sites progressively.
“The 5G network provides Kenyans with high-speed, low-latency internet and the ability to connect multiple devices simultaneously,” he continues.
Globally, there is a shift towards simplifying tasks and making them more convenient by leveraging emerging technologies such as 5G, with the likes of telemedicine, smart cities, and advanced Internet of Things (IoT) just a few examples of what can be achieved.
As a leading telecoms player, Airtel Kenya is working towards making the nation digitally enabled through its 5G network.
“We strive to ensure farmers have access to smart agriculture solutions, improvements can be made to healthcare, there is a shift towards digitally advanced manufacturing, and that Kenyans can experience enhanced connectivity,” Malhotra informs.
RAPID EXPANSION
With the core of Airtel Kenya’s business being its extensive network, the company is rapidly expanding its coverage in the country.
“Last year, we rolled out almost 1,000 sites nationwide – the largest network expansion in the history of our operations in Kenya,” Malhotra enlightens.
From its modest network footprint of around 2,000 sites a few years ago, Airtel Kenya today boasts over 4,200..
“We won’t stop at that, because we want more customers to enjoy our network by rolling out more sites. Soon, we shall be announcing our network expansion plans for the year ahead, so customers can be on the lookout,” he adds.
This expansion intends to not only grow the company’s network capacity but enhance it with better indoor coverage across major cities and towns.
Customers in northeastern counties such as Wajir, Mandera, and Garissa, for example, can now conveniently access the Airtel Kenya network having previously experienced limited network reach.
Meanwhile, the company’s enterprise solutions are also a big part of its operations, with its product portfolio including fibre and home broadband internet products which contribute to the success of multiple micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) across Kenya.
“We provide these MSMEs with fixed voice and leased lines, which enable continued connectivity,” Malhotra confirms.
In addition, the company’s network-as-a-service (NaaS) offers a cloud-based option to enable businesses to easily operate their networks without needing to own, build, or maintain their own infrastructure.
“Our NaaS option transfers responsibility for the design, integration, configuration, performance, capacity, and lifecycle management of the network to the service provider,” he surmises.
SOCIAL CONSCIENCE
As it focuses on giving back to the community, transforming lives, and leaving a lasting positive impact, Airtel Kenya’s parent company, Airtel Africa, has launched the Airtel Africa Foundation, which is centred around social giving.
Under the key areas of financial inclusion, education, digital inclusion, and safeguarding the environment, the foundation aims to change lives.
“We have an ongoing social initiative in partnership with UNICEF through which we connect public primary schools to the internet, enabling Kenyan learners access to digital learning materials,” Malhotra informs.
So far, Airtel Kenya has connected over 135 Kenyan primary schools through this project, benefitting over 90,000 students and more than 2,000 teachers.
The company has also been proactive in providing relief during disasters, as evidenced in 2022 at the height of a prolonged period of drought when Airtel Kenya donated KES50 million to those affected through the Kenya Red Cross.
This contributed to relief in the form of food distribution and borehole digging and rehabilitation in Samburu, Marsabit, and Isiolo counties.
In 2024, meanwhile, a sustained period of heavy rainfall in March, April, and May led to flooding with severe effects.
“Standing with our citizens during this period, we donated KES25 million through the Kenya Red Cross to aid recovery and relief efforts,” he says.
The company’s support in these situations goes a long way in terms of societal empowerment and contributing to the sustainable economic growth of the region.
A CONNECTED FUTURE
Currently, Airtel Kenya’s major focus is on expansion and ensuring that the whole country is adequately covered by its network.
“Whilst we have made great progress towards this goal, there is still more to be done,” Malhotra comments.
Looking to the future, the company plans to expand further whilst listening to its customers and ensuring that everyone can enjoy an optimised service.
Airtel Kenya is also working towards making Airtel Money the number one mobile money service provider in the country.
It is therefore essential that the company offers enhanced options and a wide range of choice through its mobile money solutions compared to the competition.
“We are continuously expanding our distribution footprint with additional Airtel Money agents and branches,” he adds.
Strategic partnerships will also be vital for expansion, which has led to Airtel Kenya approaching various partners to ensure a comprehensive payment ecosystem through which it can co-create innovative solutions with them.
The company additionally aims to provide innovative solutions for internet on-the-go, alongside competitive home broadband packages for its customers.
As the demand for faster internet services, use of digital currencies, and increased connectivity continues to rise across the nation, Airtel Kenya remains ahead of the curve.
“We continuously monitor these trends whilst remaining responsive to different customers’ needs – our relevant product solutions are testament to this,” Malhotra confidently concludes.
AIRTEL KENYA PARTNERS
