Look beyond the sim cards. The real story is the 52 million users in Africa who do not use Airtel for calls, but for Banking.
In many African markets, Airtel is not a telecom company; it is the Central Bank of the People. 21% of Airtel Africa’s revenue now comes from Airtel Money. As of this month, Airtel has processed $210B in txns.
Airtel did no just surpass other operators by selling data; they did it by becoming the currency. They are taxing the very movement of money across an entire continent.
P.S. If you are wondering who the world's largest telecom operator is, it is China Mobile, with 1B subscribers.
🚨 Airtel has become the world's second-largest mobile operator, surpassing 650 million subscribers across India and Africa.