Kenya records 20% jump in 5G subscriptions

Kenya’s active 5G connections jumped nearly 20% in three months, reaching 1.5 million by September, the strongest quarterly growth since the technology launched, the Communications Authority of Kenya reported Monday.

The regulator said users with 5G-capable devices consistently connected to the network rose 19.96% from 1.2 million in June, easily beating the previous quarter’s 5.4% gain. The figures reflect actual usage, not just device ownership.

Operators race to expand

Safaricom, the market leader, began commercial 5G in October 2022 and now has more than 1,700 sites across all 47 counties. Rival Airtel Kenya, which entered the market in mid-2023, has upgraded hundreds of towers and laid over 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) of new fiber.

Both companies are pushing fixed-wireless 5G home plans to compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink, which has surpassed 19,000 users in Kenya by targeting underserved rural areas.

Cost remains a barrier

High smartphone prices and premium data tariffs keep 5G largely limited to wealthier urban customers. The average 5G user consumes 40 gigabytes monthly — almost three times the 14.1 GB used by 4G subscribers.

Broader mobile trends

Fourth-generation networks still dominate with nearly 40 million users, up 7.5% in the quarter. Third-generation subscriptions fell 22.8% to 5.7 million, while basic 2G lines grew slightly to 13.1 million.

Overall mobile data subscriptions rose 2.9% to 60.2 million, with broadband accounting for more than 78%. Kenyans used 674,240 terabytes of mobile data — a 12.8% increase — and average monthly consumption hit 14.3 GB per user.

“Mobile data is the main gateway to the internet in Kenya and a major driver of economic and social progress,” the regulator said.

Looking ahead

Analysts expect continued strong growth as operators extend coverage to smaller towns and introduce more affordable plans. Safaricom aims to make all its sites 5G-ready by 2029, while Airtel has hundreds more under construction.

For now, 5G remains concentrated in cities. Bridging cost and coverage gaps will determine whether ultra-fast mobile internet reaches beyond Kenya’s urban elite.