Kenya has continued to experience increased 5G subscriptions since the country’s leading telco Safaricom first rolled out the service in October 2022.
According to the fourth quarter sector statistics report for the financial year 2023/2024 from the country’s telecoms regulator the Communications Authority (CA), Kenya now has 739, 020 5G mobile subscribers. This is much lower compared to the existing 29,385, 815 4G mobile subscribers.
The data covers the period between 1st April – 30th June 2024.
During the referenced period, CA says mobile data continued to be the key driver for internet uptake in the country accounting for 97.2 percent of the total data subscriptions.
‘’Uptake of 4G and 5G services continued to grow following the expansion of these networks coupled with increased consumer preferences for high-speed internet’’ CA say in the report.
As of this month, Safaricom had become the largest 5G network operator in Kenya with over 1000 sites spread across all the 47 counties in Kenya and growing the 5G footprint to 14% of the population.
In addition to the growing network, Safaricom says it now has over 11,000 enterprise customers on 5G and has seen growth in the number of active 5G smartphones to over 780,000.
‘Safaricom remains committed in leading Kenya’s Digital transformation through the provision of a worry-free, always on ubiquitous network enabling access to information, critical services and communication therefore bridging the digital divide. We believe that the benefits of 5G will be a key catalyst in leapfrogging other innovations, industries as well as Kenya’s digital economy,’ says Peter Ndegwa, CEO, of Safaricom.
Airtel Kenya on the other hand announced in June this year that it has doubled its 5G footprint in Kenya with the network now accessible in 39 counties and 285 wards across the country.
At the same time, Airtel revealed it had increased the number of its 5G sites to 690, up from 372 when the network went live.
The telco said it plans to launch an additional 1000 sites by the end of this year bringing the total number of 5G sites to 1690. This rollout will be the biggest ever in Airtel Kenya’s operations to improve indoor coverage in towns and connect rural areas.
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