"The attacker who hit the Airtel office was shot before the bomb exploded," Ibrahim Idris, the chief of police in Kano said.
According to initial information, the suicide bomber tried to force the Airtel office gates open. The driver came out and exchanged gun fire with the security personnel before being shot down.
Initial reports say another office of a telecom firm was also attacked.
Firefighters are trying to put out the fire even as men of the military Joint Task Force (JTF) cordoned off the area.
Islamist sect Boko Haram has previously targeted phone firms, blowing up telephone masts and offices, saying the companies help the security forces catch its members.
