KEY POINTS
- Under Mupita, MTN Group has more than 300 million subscribers.
- MTN’s biggest gain in subscribers is in Nigeria and Iran.
- MTN’s next phase will be shaped by fintech and home connectivity.
MTN Group has become the first telecom operator in Africa to surpass 300 million subscribers, a major achievement under the leadership of Zimbabwean executive Ralph Mupita.
The milestone was revealed at the company’s Ambassadors Appreciation Dinner last Wednesday, where executives celebrated the success of MTN’s Ambition 2025 strategy, which set the target of serving 300 million customers across its markets.
In the last 18 months, the number of subscribers has grown quickly. Between December 2024 and June 2025, MTN added almost 13 million new customers, and by the third quarter, the number of subscribers had passed 300 million.
Nigeria and Iran are driving subscriber growth
The Nigeria unit of MTN is still the biggest, with 84.7 million users as of June 2025. Iran comes next with 56 million consumers, thanks to MTN’s 49 percent investment in Irancell. Even while business is still going well in Iran, international restrictions have made it hard for the corporation to bring back profits.
South Africa, where MTN is based, has 39.8 million customers. Uganda has the most in the South and East Africa region with 22.8 million. While Ghana has the most users in Western and Central Africa, with 30 million out of a total of 70 million in the region.
MTN focuses on fintech and home connectivity
As part of its post-2025 growth strategy, MTN is strengthening its fintech, digital infrastructure, and connected home services. Its MoMo mobile money platform is still helping people who don’t have access to banks get more money and keep customers in markets where banks aren’t very common.
MTN launched “MTN Sky Premium” in South Africa. This is a bundle of voice and internet services for the house that fits with the company’s plans for linked homes.
The group also plans to expand fibre infrastructure through partnerships or strategic acquisitions rather than building standalone networks.
Confidence in the market and rising sales keep things moving
MTN, which does business in 16 countries in Africa and the Middle East, said that its revenue grew by 23 percent to $6 billion in the first half of 2025.
Furthermore, the gain was driven by a 37.5 percent rise in sales in Nigeria and a doubling of revenue in Ghana, which shows that MTN is one of Africa’s most valued brands.
According to Billionaires Africa, Mupita, who has around $11 million worth of MTN shares, continues to set the company up for long-term growth and new ideas in emerging countries.
