MTN Uganda’s Data Dominance: A New Era for Telecoms in Uganda
MTN Uganda’s recent financial results for the first half of 2025 paint a clear picture of the evolving telecommunications landscape in Uganda. The company experienced a healthy 13.1% revenue growth during this period. This growth story is largely fueled by a surge in data consumption and the growing popularity of its mobile money service, MTN MoMo. Notably, this data-driven expansion is leading to a significant shift in revenue streams, signaling a potential paradigm shift within the Ugandan telecom market.
Data Takes the Lead: A Shift in Revenue Streams
The H1 2025 results reveal a dramatic shift in revenue contribution. While voice revenue saw a marginal increase of only 0.4%, data revenue experienced a substantial leap of 31.1%. This growth is further emphasized by the numbers: data revenue surged 31.3% year-on-year, reaching Ush 490.2 billion ($133.7 million). This represents a significant change from the 15.1% increase in voice revenue reported in the first half of 2024. This trend is reflected in MTN Uganda’s financial results, as the growth in data revenue has surpassed that of voice for the first time. This transition reflects the trend seen in other, larger markets, such as Nigeria, where data services are becoming more prevalent. The data revolution in Uganda is likely influenced by increased internet penetration and improved quality. Internet penetration in Uganda has doubled from 7.4% in 2020 to 15.3% in 2023, setting the stage for increased data usage.
This trend is significant for the Ugandan telecom landscape, representing a key shift in consumer preferences and technological adoption. As internet access and quality improve, the adoption of data-driven services continues to rise, leading to the natural decline of voice services. This shift mirrors similar trends across Africa, as more and more individuals turn to data-intensive applications.
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