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5G uptake grows by a quarter in 3 months with aggressive telcos campaigns
The 5G technology is much faster than the 4G currently in widespread use, but requires more high-end smart gadgets in addition to expensive data bundles that are out of reach for the majority of users.
The number of mobile data subscribers connected to the super-fast fifth-generation (5G) network in Kenya grew at a faster pace of 25.4 percent in the three months to September last year, compared with 13.3 percent growth recorded in the corresponding quarter the previous year, new data shows.
The 5G technology is much faster than the 4G currently in widespread use, but requires more high-end smart gadgets in addition to expensive data bundles that are out of reach for the majority of users.
Latest disclosures from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) show that at the number of 5G users had hit 926,382 by the end of September 2024, up from 739,020 in June, marking an addition of 187,362 new subscribers against the 59,943 fresh users onboarded during the similar quarter in 2023.
The trend, which points to an enhanced consumer appetite for high internet speeds in the wake of rapidly evolving technological advancements, has been largely driven by aggressive expansion initiatives spearheaded by the country’s leading telcos – Safaricom and Airtel Kenya.
In March last year, for example, Safaricom overtook Airtel for the first time in the rollout of 5G sites with 803 compared to Airtel’s 690, underlining the intensifying competition between the two for the fast-growing data business.
This was a reversal from a year earlier when Airtel had more sites supporting the new-age technology with 370 compared to Safaricom’s 205, meaning the latter added 598 new sites in a year, slightly surpassing its set target of 595.
Airtel, on the other hand, activated a total of 320 new sites during the period, expanding its coverage to 39 counties from 16 in 2023.
In the 12 months to March this year, Safaricom has set an ambitious target of expanding the number of 5G sites to over 1,700 as it seeks to sustain its current market lead.
In the quarter to September last year, 4G technology remained the most widely used network, growing by 6.1 percent to 31.2 million subscribers, up from 29.4 million in June.
2G technology, which comes second, dipped 1.9 percent to 13.8 million from 14.1 million as of June, while the 3G network thinned its base by 6.97 percent to 7.8 million down from 8.4 million.
The CA data indicates that the total number of mobile data subscriptions rose by 2.2 percent during the period to 53.7 million up, from the 52.5 million at the end of June.
“Mobile data subscriptions grew to record 53.7 million by end of the quarter, with 4G constituting 58.1 percent,” wrote CA in its report.
“The adoption of 4G and 5G technologies has continued to grow, mainly driven by the growing demand for high-speed internet for activities such as streaming, online learning, remote work, and e-commerce.”