Free Reads How Data And Mobile Money Ate Africa’s Top Telcos’ Longtime Cash Cow By Henry Nzekwe  |  May 8, 2026 For decades, the mobile phone in Africa meant one thing to telcos: voice minutes. That era is ending. Across the continent, data and digital financial services have surpassed traditional calling as the primary growth engines, and the latest batch of financial results signals a fundamental shift in how millions of people across the continent now communicate and manage their finances. Airtel Africa, which operates in 14 sub-Saharan countries, reported full-year 2026 revenue of USD 6.4 B in results released Friday. The company’s customer base reached 183.5 million, but the real story is where the money came from. Data has become Airtel’s largest revenue contributor, with data revenue growing 35.2% in constant currency, fueled by smartphone penetration rising to 49.5%. Each customer now consumes 8.9GB of data per month, up from 7GB a year ago. Meanwhile, Airtel Money, the company’s mobile money arm, grew…