Hassanein Hiridjee’s AXIAN Telecom rebrands as Yas Group after revenue hits $980 million      

AXIAN Telecom, the pan-African telecommunications and digital infrastructure company backed by Malagasy businessman Hassanein Hiridjee, has adopted Yas Group as its new corporate name after reporting $980 million in revenue for the first half of 2026. 

The rebrand, announced Monday, Sept. 14, comes nearly two years after the company brought its mobile businesses under the Yas brand. The new corporate identity will be used in communications with shareholders, business partners and regulators, while the group’s operating brands will keep their existing names. 

“When we united our mobile operators under Yas in 2024, the aim was a brand capable of carrying this business at continental scale,” Hiridjee, chairman of the Yas board and CEO of AXIAN Group, said. 

He said the brand had gained recognition across its markets and that using Yas Group as the corporate identity would give shareholders and partners a single name as the business expands.

New funding supports African expansion 

The change comes as Yas increases investment in digital infrastructure and related businesses across Africa. 

In May, Proparco agreed to work with Yas and AXIAN Energy, with the French development finance institution planning to provide as much as €300 million ($344 million)over three years for digital and energy investments. 

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development followed in July with a senior loan of up to €270 million ($310 million), to support digital infrastructure. The package includes up to €170 million ($195 million), for projects in Senegal and Kenya, with additional funding available for eligible investments elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Yas is also investing in technology. In February, AXIAN Telecom signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Huawei covering digital connectivity, digital finance and operations, including 5G, cloud networks and artificial intelligence. 

The company later partnered with Oracle to standardize processes, data and operating models through a unified cloud-based management platform.

Revenue rises as subscriber base grows 

Yas operates mobile and fixed services in Tanzania, Madagascar, the Comoros, Togo and Senegal. Its broader portfolio includes Mixx, MVola, TowerCo of Africa, Stellarix and Silver Links, spanning mobile services, financial technology and digital infrastructure. 

The group had about 45.5 million mobile subscribers at the end of June, alongside 15.7 million active data users and 19 million active mobile financial services users. It also owned 5,210 telecom towers and had 3,756 shared towers hosting 5,071 tenants. 

Revenue rose 26.5% to $980 million in the first six months of 2026, from $774.9 million a year earlier. Digital and mobile financial services grew 42%, the fastest rate among the group’s main segments, and accounted for 19% of total revenue. Mobile and fixed services contributed 63% of revenue, while infrastructure accounted for 11%. 

Adjusted EBITDA increased 23.6% to $398.67 million from $322.61 million a year earlier, giving the group an adjusted EBITDA margin of 40.7%. 

The company is also pursuing satellite connectivity. In March, AXIAN Telecom partnered with AST SpaceMobile to develop direct-to-device mobile broadband services, designed to connect standard smartphones to satellites in remote and underserved areas.