Kenya’s Mobile Market to be Transformed with Airtel/Telkom Merger
Kenya's universal service fund extends broadband to underserved areas
Kenya's telecom regulator has been working to close the digital gap between urban and rural areas of the country, largely relying on the USF. This supports the updated national broadband strategy, which is focussed on providing a broadband services of at least 3Mb/s to 90% of the population by 2023. In addition, a 10Mb/s service should be available to all schools, healthcare centres, and government facilities by the end of 2022. Further goals for 2030 include providing a 10Mb/s service nationally and a 100Mb/s to 80% of the population.
The government commissioned a study (the ICT Access Gaps study) in 2016, which found that 166 of 7,149 locations in the country had no telecom coverage, while an additional 418 had less than 50% population coverage and 5,655 locations were fully covered. The 166 localities accounted for about 2.66 million people.
Phase 1 of the project (funded by teh USF) was launched in late 2018, with Safaricom and Telkom Kenya contracted to carry out the work. This work was incomplete, and in February 2021 the regulator identified 101 localities to be covered with telecom services. It committed KES1.57 billion, which formed Phase 2 of the USF. Contracts were awarded to Safaricom, Airtel Kenya, and others, and the work by these companies must be completed within two years.
Table of Contents
Key statistics- Regional Africa Market Comparison
- Market characteristics
- Market Leaders
- Market Challengers
- Market Emergents
- TMI vs GDP
- Mobile and mobile broadband penetration
- Fixed versus mobile broadband penetration
Country overview
- Telecommunications market
- Market analysis
Regulatory environment
- Regulatory authority
- Fixed-line developments
- Mobile network developments
Mobile market
- Mobile statistics
- Mobile infrastructure
- Mobile data
- Mobile broadband
- Major mobile operators
- Mobile content and applications
Fixed-line broadband market
- Introduction and statistical overview
- Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) networks
- Fibre-to-the-Premises (FttP) networks
- Other fixed broadband services
Digital economy
- E-learning
- E-commerce
- E-government
- E-agriculture
Fixed network operators
- Telkom Kenya
- Liquid Telecom Kenya (KDN)
- Jamii Telecom
- Access Kenya
Telecommunications infrastructure
- Overview of the national telecom network
- National Optic Fibre Backbone Infrastructure (NOFBI)
- International infrastructure
Appendix Historic data
- Glossary of abbreviations
- Related reports
List of Tables
- Table 1 Top Level Country Statistics and Telco Authorities Kenya 2022 (e)
- Table 2 Telecom sector revenue in Kenya 2010 2017
- Table 3 Mobile services revenue and investments (KES billion) 2012 2020
- Table 4 Annual mobile number portings 2013 2021
- Table 5 Change in the share of mobile voice traffic share by operator 2014 2021
- Table 6 Growth in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration rate in Kenya 2012 2027
- Table 7 Change in the number of prepaid and contract mobile subscribers (million) 2012 2021
- Table 8 Change in SMS traffic by quarter 2012 2021
- Table 9 Change in the volume of SMS domestic annual traffic 2012 2021
- Table 10 Change in the number of mobile data subscribers 2012 2021
- Table 11 Change in the number of mobile data/internet subscribers by provider (million) 2013 2021
- Table 12 Change in the share of mobile data subscribers by provider 2014 2021
- Table 13 Growth in the number of active mobile broadband subscribers 2012 2027
- Table 15 Increase in Safaricom's revenue (KES billion) 2012 2022
- Table 16 Change in Safaricom's revenue by sector (KES billion) 2012 2022
- Table 17 Change in the proportion of Safaricom's service revenue by sector 2012 2022
- Table 18 Growth in the number of Safaricom's mobile subscribers 2012 2022
- Table 19 Safaricom's economic contribution (KES million) 2016 2021
- Table 20 Change in Safaricom's annualised mobile ARPU by platform (KES/month) 2012 2022
- Table 23 Change in the number of Telkom Kenya's mobile subscribers 2012 2021
- Table 24 Growth in the number of Finserve's/Equitel's mobile subscribers 2015 2021
- Table 25 Mobile Pay mobile subscribers 2017 2019
- Table 26 Growth in mobile money penetration rate 2012 2021
- Table 27 Change in the number of m-money subscribers and agents 2012 2021
- Table 28 Mobile money subscribers by operator (million) 2014 2021
- Table 29 Growth in the number of m-money transactions and value 2012 2021
- Table 30 Growth in Safaricom's M-PESA revenue 2012 2022
- Table 31 Growth in the number of Safaricom's active M-PESA customers 2012 2022
- Table 32 Change in Safaricom's M-PESA transactions value by type (KES billion) 2012 2022
- Table 33 Growth in the number of total internet subscriptions 2012 2021
- Table 34 Growth in the number of wireless internet subscriptions by access technology 2012 2021
- Table 35 Change in the number of fixed-line broadband subscriptions by access technology 2012 2021
- Table 36 Change in the number of fixed-line broadband subscriptions and penetration 2012 2027
- Table 37 Growth in the number of total broadband subscriptions 2014 2021
- Table 38 Decline in the number of DSL subscribers 2012 2021
- Table 39 Market share of fixed broadband subscribers by operator 2018 2021
- Table 40 Safaricom fixed broadband subscribers 2015 2020
- Table 41 Growth in the number of Safaricom's fibre broadband premises covered 2016 2022
- Table 42 Growth in the number of fibre broadband subscribers 2012 2021
- Table 43 Change in the number of cable broadband subscribers 2016 2021
- Table 44 Fixed-wireless subscriptions in Kenya 2012 2021
- Table 45 Change in the number of fixed lines in service and teledensity 2012 2027
- Table 46 Growth in international internet bandwidth 2012 2021
- Table 47 International bandwidth capacity by platform (Mb/s) 2013 2021
- Table 48 International bandwidth used (Mb/s) 2013 2021
- Table 49 Historic - Mobile subscribers and penetration rate in Kenya 1999 2011
- Table 50 Historic - Fixed lines in service and teledensity in Kenya 1999 2011
- Table 51 Historic - Internet users and penetration rate 1999 2011
- Table 52 Historic - International internet bandwidth 2000 2011
- Table 53 Historic - Essar Telecom subscribers 2010 2014
- Table 54 Historic - Telkom Kenya revenue 2010 2014
- Table 55 Historic - Internet services revenue and investments (KES billion) 2009 2015
- Table 56 Historic - Telkom fixed-line subscribers 2008 2016
- Table 57 Historic - MMS traffic 2012 2015
- Table 58 Historic - ICT sector revenue in Kenya 2012 2016
- Table 59 Historic - Mobile services revenue and investments (KES billion) 2008 2011
- Table 60 Historic - 2G Mobile base stations by operator 2012 2017
- Table 61 Historic - 3G Mobile base stations by operator 2012 2017
- Table 62 Historic - Change in the volume of SMS domestic annual traffic 2008 2011
- Table 63 Historic Telecom sector revenue in Kenya 2007 2011
List of Charts
- Chart 1 Africa Telecoms Maturity Index Market Leaders
- Chart 2 Africa Market Leaders global ranking
- Chart 3 Africa Telecoms Maturity Index Market Challengers
- Chart 4 Africa Market Challengers global ranking
- Chart 5 Africa Telecoms Maturity Index Market Emergents
- Chart 6 Africa Market Emergents global ranking
- Chart 7 Africa Telecoms Maturity Index vs GDP per capita
- Chart 8 Africa Mobile subscriber penetration vs mobile broadband penetration
- Chart 9 Africa Fixed and mobile broadband penetration
- Chart 10 Telecom sector revenue in Kenya 2010 2017
- Chart 11 Mobile services revenue and investments (KES billion) 2012 2020
- Chart 12 Change in the share of mobile voice traffic share by operator (Q4) 2016 2021
- Chart 13 Growth in the number of mobile subscribers and penetration 2012 2027
- Chart 14 Change in the number of prepaid and contract mobile subscribers 2012 2021
- Chart 15 Change in SMS traffic by quarter 2012 2021
- Chart 16 Change in the volume of SMS domestic annual traffic 2012 2021
- Chart 17 Change in the number of mobile data/internet subscribers by provider 2013 2021
- Chart 18 Change in the share of mobile data subscribers by provider 2014 2021
- Chart 19 Growth in the number of active mobile broadband subscribers 2012 2027
- Chart 22 Change in Safaricom's revenue by sector 2012 2022
- Chart 23 Change in the proportion of Safaricom's service revenue by sector 2012 2022
- Chart 24 Growth in the number of Safaricom's mobile subscribers 2012 2022
- Chart 25 Change in Safaricom's mobile ARPU by platform 2012 2022
- Chart 26 Growth in the number of Safaricom's base stations by technology 2011 2022
- Chart 27 Growth in the number of Airtel Kenya's mobile subscribers 2012 2021
- Chart 28 Change in the number of Telkom Kenya's mobile subscribers 2012 2021
- Chart 29 Growth in the number of Finserve's/ Equitel's mobile subscribers 2015 2021
- Chart 30 Change in the number of m-money subscribers and agents 2012 2021
- Chart 32 Growth in the number of m-money transactions and value 2012 2021
- Chart 33 Growth in Safaricom's M-PESA revenue 2012 2022
- Chart 34 Growth in the number of Safaricom's active M-PESA customers 2012 2022
- Chart 35 Change in Safaricom's M-PESA transactions value by type 2012 2022
- Chart 36 Growth in the number of total internet subscriptions 2012 2021
- Chart 37 Change in the number of fixed-line broadband subscriptions by access technology 2012 2021
- Chart 38 Change in the number of fixed-line broadband subscriptions and penetration 2012 2027
- Chart 39 Growth in the number of broadband subscriptions 2014 2021
- Chart 40 Decline in the number of DSL subscribers 2012 2021
- Chart 41 Growth in the number of Safaricom's fibre broadband premises covered 2016 2022
- Chart 42 Growth in the number of fibre broadband subscribers 2012 2021
- Chart 43 Change in the number of cable broadband subscribers 2016 2021
- Chart 44 Change in the number of fixed lines in service and teledensity 2012 2027
List of Exhibits
- Exhibit 1 Map of Telecom Maturity Index global ranking among countries in Africa
- Exhibit 2 Generalised Market Characteristics by Market Segment
- Exhibit 3 Africa Market Leaders and market developments
- Exhibit 4 Africa Market Challengers and market developments
- Exhibit 5 Africa Market Emergents and market developments
- Exhibit 6 2Africa landing stations
