Sylvia Mulinge, Chief Executive Officer of MTN UgandaMTN Uganda has reported an 8.5% increase in service revenue to Ush 2.8 trillion for the nine months ended 30 September 2026, amid a challenging macroeconomic environment and evolving dynamics in the telecommunications industry.Growth was supported by an expanding customer base and rising demand for data and digital financial services.MTN Uganda’s subscriber base grew by 12.5% to 26.4 million, while data and fintech continued to contribute significantly to revenue growth.Data revenue increased by 12.8% to Ush 860.6 billion over the nine-month period. In the third quarter, data revenue growth moderated to 7.8%, compared with 17.5% in the second quarter. Demand remained strong, with data traffic up 31.9% over the nine months, but unauthorised public Wi-Fi resale limited the company’s ability to translate increased usage into revenue growth. Home broadband registrations grew by 58.9% during the period. Fintech revenue grew by 11.6% to Ush 902.8 billion, accelerating to 13.3% in the third quarter, while the MoMo app reached over 832,000 customers.The operating environment remained challenging, with rising fuel, food and transport costs and foreign exchange pressures. In the data market, unauthorised resellers offering unlimited public Wi-Fi packages over business fibre and fixed wireless connections added competitive pressure, affecting revenue growth despite continued expansion in data usage.EBITDA grew by 3.0% to Ush 1.5 trillion, with the EBITDA margin declining to 51.1% from 53.9%, reflecting higher operating costs and accelerated network investment. Profit after tax increased by 21.2% to Ush 571.2 billion, largely reflecting the non-recurrence of a tax settlement in the comparative period.During the period, MTN Uganda invested Ush 397.7 billion in capital expenditure excluding leases, deploying 255 new network sites and extending its fibre footprint to over 40,000 kilometres. 4G population coverage reached 94%, while 5G coverage increased to 25.6%.Commenting on the results, Sylvia Mulinge, Chief Executive Officer of MTN Uganda, said:“The nine-month performance reflects both the resilience of our business and the pressures facing the industry. Demand for data continues to grow, with customers using more data and more people connecting to our network. While data revenue also increased, unauthorised public Wi-Fi resale is limiting our ability to translate this growing demand into revenue growth. We also continue to see encouraging momentum in fintech.“We are responding through continued investment in our network, innovation in our digital services and a stronger focus on operational efficiency. We also recognise the importance of a sustainable and competitive telecommunications environment that supports continued investment in the country’s digital infrastructure.”OutlookMTN Uganda’s priorities are to restore commercial momentum, deepen the value customers derive from its network and digital financial services, and keep investing for sustainable long-term growth.In connectivity, the company will focus on translating investment in network quality and resilience into greater adoption and usage through more customer-centric offers, wider customer touchpoints and digital channels, and the expansion of home broadband. The MTN Group and Starlink partnership will extend enterprise connectivity to areas where traditional network deployment is challenging.In fintech, MTN Uganda will build on its momentum by making MoMo more central to customers’ everyday transactions through greater use of the MoMo app and services such as Entebbe Expressway toll payments and travel bookings through Travel by MoMo. A growing agent and merchant network will support wider access to cashless payments.Cost discipline and operational efficiencies are expected to support an EBITDA margin of around 50% for the year, underpinning sustainable long-term value for customers and shareholders. The post MTN Uganda Profit Jumps 21% to Shs571bn Despite Illegal Wi-Fi Eating into Data Revenue appeared first on Business Focus.