Safaricom has crossed the one-million mark in fixed internet subscriptions, strengthening its position as Kenya’s largest provider as competition and demand for high-speed connectivity intensify.
Data from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) shows the telco had 1.025 million fixed data and internet subscriptions by the end of June, giving it a 36.1 per cent market share.
The milestone caps a rapid expansion of Safaricom’s home and business broadband business, which had 735,749 subscriptions a year earlier.
This means the operator added about 289,000 subscriptions over the 12 months, representing annual growth of 39.3 per cent.
The growth has come as Kenya’s overall fixed internet market has expanded rapidly, with total subscriptions rising 32.4 per cent year-on-year to 2.84 million in June from 2.14 million a year earlier.
The CA says the growth has been driven by intense competition, the shifting digital economy and aggressive infrastructure rollouts. Fixed internet subscriptions also increased 6.9 per cent between March and June.
Safaricom’s rise is particularly striking over the longer term. Its fixed internet base stood at 269,397 five years ago and only 40,015 in September 2017, when fixed broadband was still a relatively small segment of Kenya’s telecommunications market.
Its market share has consequently more than doubled from 15.2 per cent in September 2017 to 36.1 per cent currently.
Jamii Telecommunications remained a distant second with 541,003 subscriptions and a 19.1 per cent market share, followed by Wananchi Group, which includes Zuku, with 294,375 subscriptions and 10.4 per cent.
The most notable movement below the top three came from Ahadi Wireless, operator of Konnect Internet, which climbed to fourth position with 270,586 subscriptions, equivalent to 9.5 per cent of the market.
Ahadi’s rise came as Poa Internet lost ground. Its subscriptions fell 3.1 per cent during the quarter to 248,601 and were 7.4 per cent below the level recorded a year earlier.
