The number of mobile subscribers connected to the fast fifth-generation (5G) network grew 19.96 percent during the three months to September, rising to 1.5 million up from 1.2 million in the preceding quarter ended June.
The growth in the review period was faster than the 5.4 percent recorded between April and June, indicating accelerating uptake of the new-generation mobile technology in the country.
The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) defines 5G subscribers as users with enabled devices who are consistently connected to the network, reflecting active adoption rather than mere device ownership.
High-end smart devices and expensive data bundles remain a barrier to widespread 5G adoption, limiting access primarily to urban centres and higher-income consumers across Kenya.
Telecom companies Safaricom and Airtel have driven growth through aggressive network expansion and targeted marketing strategies to attract high-speed mobile data users in major towns.
“Mobile data remains to be a fundamental drive for internet connectivity in the country fostering socioeconomic development and expanding access to services and information,” noted CA.
“Mobile data subscriptions were recorded at 60.2 million by the end of the first quarter of the current financial year, of which 78.3 per cent were on mobile broadband.”
Safaricom launched 5G commercially in October 2022 after trials that started in March 2021 in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, and other urban areas with high data traffic.
Airtel Kenya joined the 5G rollout in mid-2023, initially surpassing Safaricom in the number of sites, before Safaricom expanded to 803 sites in March last year against Airtel’s 690.
4G remains the most widely used technology, growing 7.5 percent during the quarter to 39.98 million from 37.2 million in June, as consumers continue to upgrade from 3G and 2G networks.
Subscriptions on 3G networks fell 22.8 percent to 5.7 million, while 2G users grew only by a marginal 2.5 percent to 13.1 million, reflecting a clear migration toward faster and more reliable mobile broadband technologies.
Overall mobile data subscribers across all networks increased 2.9 percent to 60.2 million from 58.6 million in June, driven by growing reliance on internet connectivity for work, study, and entertainment.
Mobile broadband consumption rose 12.8 percent to 674,240.3 terabytes, with the average data used per subscriber increasing to 14.3 gigabytes during the three-month period.
“The average mobile broadband consumption per broadband subscription was 14.3 GB with 5G users recording the highest consumption at 40.0 GB followed by 4G at 14.1 GB,” wrote CA.
5G adoption is expected to continue growing as operators expand coverage to secondary towns and offer more affordable bundles, making high-speed connectivity accessible to a wider segment of the population.
