Kenya: Airtel shuts down its wholesale fiber subsidiary after two years without revenue

The company reported no revenue in 2024 or 2025. Its net loss reached 16.1 million Kenyan shillings in 2025, compared to a loss of 2.9 million the previous year, while its cumulative losses totaled 19.08 million shillings, according to financial statements cited by several Kenyan media outlets.

Airtel Kenya Telesonic had requested to return its Network Facilities Provider Tier 2 license to the Communications Authority of Kenya at the end of 2025. The license booklet was submitted to the regulator on February 6, 2026, the same day the board also approved the decision to close the company. The process is still awaiting official publication and the completion of cessation formalities.

The closure does not affect the XStream Fibre offering for individuals and businesses. This service is operated by Airtel Networks Kenya under a separate entity and license, meaning that retail subscriptions will not be interrupted by the liquidation of Telesonic.

Telesonic represents Airtel Africa’s wholesale fiber business and relies on over 78,000 kilometers of terrestrial fiber across the continent. In Kenya, the Communications Authority reported 1.4 million fiber optic subscriptions in December 2025, up from 1.1 million a year earlier.