Airtel Africa—Airtel Tanzania complied with a six-day internet and social-media blackout during Tanzania's October 2025 election despite an explicit warning not to

Around Tanzania's October 29, 2025 general election, all five major mobile network operators - including Airtel Tanzania - carried out a coordinated, nationwide shutdown of internet access and social media platforms that NetBlocks confirmed was 'not a technical glitch but a nationwide, coordinated action.' Keyword filtering blocked text messages containing opposition leader Tundu Lissu's name. On October 28, the Net Rights Coalition sent a public letter, copied to Airtel's CEO among others, warning operators not to comply with an illegal shutdown order; Airtel complied anyway. The roughly six-day blackout coincided with a violent post-election crackdown described by advocacy groups as among the deadliest in Tanzania's post-independence history. A Tanzanian High Court petition was filed naming the government and all five MNOs, including Airtel, as respondents, alleging violations of constitutional rights to expression and access to information. Estimated industry-wide revenue loss from the shutdown was about $7.4 million.