Airtel Kenya has asked the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) for two licenses that would give it much more control over how its network runs in the country. The regulator has now opened the matter up for public comment before it makes a final call.
The request appeared in a notice published in the Kenya Gazette. Airtel is applying for a Network Facilities Provider Tier 1 license and a license for International Gateway Systems and Services. Both applications were filed under the Kenya Information and Communications Act, Cap. 411A.
What the CA Is Asking the Public to Do?
The CA says anyone, whether an individual, a company, or an organization, can write in to support or oppose either application. These submissions need to go to the Director General of the Communications Authority and must clearly state which license category the comment relates to.
There’s a deadline too. Objections or representations have to be filed within 30 days of the gazette notice being published. Anyone submitting a comment also needs to send a copy directly to Airtel Kenya.
The notice was signed off by David Mugonyi, the CA’s Director General and CEO.
Why the NFP Tier 1 License Is Important
The Network Facilities Provider Tier 1 license is one of the biggest licenses the CA hands out. It lets a company build, own, and run telecom infrastructure across the whole country rather than in just one region.
That covers things like mobile base stations, transmission towers, fiber-optic cables, microwave links, satellite equipment, and data centers. In short, all the physical infrastructure that keeps calls connecting, data flowing, and the internet working.
What makes this license different from smaller ones is scale. It’s built for nationwide rollout, and it also allows the license holder to lease out network capacity to other telecom companies.
That’s usually reserved for players with the money and technical muscle to build and maintain large networks, which puts Airtel in a different category if the license gets approved.
For Airtel, this would mean less dependence on other companies’ infrastructure. It could expand coverage faster, put more money into fiber and data centers, and generally have more say over the quality of its own network instead of leasing space on someone else’s.
What About the International Gateway License?
The second license, for International Gateway Systems and Services, deals with how Kenya’s networks connect to the rest of the world. It would let Airtel Kenya build and run the systems that route international voice calls, data, and internet traffic in and out of the country.
Right now, companies without this kind of license usually have to go through a third party to route international traffic. Having the license directly would cut out that middle step, which can mean better service quality and lower costs tied to running that traffic through outside providers.
The CA hasn’t set a date for when it will decide on the applications. It says the public participation process needs to wrap up first, so the 30-day comment window is the next real checkpoint.
If both licenses go through, Airtel would be stepping onto more even footing with Safaricom, Telkom Kenya, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, and Faiba, especially when it comes to owning infrastructure and managing international connections directly rather than relying on others to do it.
