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Sonatel, Senegal’s leading telecommunications company and a key subsidiary of the French multinational Orange Group, reported an 8% increase in net profit for the third quarter of 2025, reaching 311 billion CFA francs (around USD 545.7 million). Founded in 1985 and headquartered in Dakar, the company has evolved from a national telecom operator into a regional leader driving digital transformation across more than five West African countries.
According to Daba Finance, a prominent African financial intelligence platform, Sonatel’s quarterly revenue rose 8.6% year-on-year to 1.43 trillion CFA francs, supported by solid growth in mobile data, fixed broadband, and its flagship fintech platform, Orange Money. The company’s EBITDAaL (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation after leases) climbed 11.5% to 686.5 billion CFA francs, boosting the operating margin to 47.9%. Operating cash flow also surged 15.8% to 483.4 billion CFA francs, reflecting tighter cost management and improved operational efficiency.
These strong results came despite regulatory and fiscal headwinds, including new taxes on mobile money transactions and higher import duties on telecom equipment in some of Sonatel’s markets. Listed on the Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières (BRVM) under the ticker SNTS, Sonatel increased its capital expenditure by 2.6% to 203 billion CFA francs, primarily to expand broadband infrastructure and strengthen network capacity.
While the company’s mobile subscriber base declined by 4.4% to 39.4 million users—mainly due to stricter SIM registration policies—its profitability remained resilient thanks to growth in high-value services such as enterprise IT, cloud computing, fixed broadband, and mobile financial services. These segments are central to Sonatel’s strategy of reducing reliance on traditional voice revenues and building a diversified digital services portfolio.
Under the leadership of CEO Brelotte Ba, Sonatel is pursuing an ambitious innovation roadmap centred on cybersecurity, fintech, and cloud solutions. The company is also contributing to the BCEAO’s regional digital payments interoperability framework; a strategic initiative aimed at establishing a cross-border digital finance ecosystem across West Africa.
A key milestone in Sonatel’s infrastructure expansion was the launch of Guinea’s first national data centre, designed to enhance data sovereignty, support cloud adoption, and strengthen digital resilience. This move underscores Sonatel’s commitment to advancing sovereign digital infrastructure—a crucial but often overlooked aspect of Africa’s tech ecosystem.
Operating across Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Guinea-Bissau, Sonatel exemplifies a distinctly African-led model of telecom growth—driven by regional collaboration, local expertise, and long-term investment rather than external dominance.
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Overall, the group’s Q3 2025 performance highlights its ability to adapt to regulatory shifts, economic uncertainty, and rapid technological change while maintaining solid financial health. As Sonatel prepares for 5G rollout and intensifies its carbon reduction efforts, it continues to position itself as a cornerstone of West Africa’s digital and economic integration.
