Airtel Kenya has announced a significant expansion of its 5G network in Kenya. At a media breakfast on Tuesday, the telco announced that it has now doubled its 5G footprint with the network now accessible in 39 counties and 285 wards across the country up from 16 counties and 180 wards in July 2023.
At the same time, Airtel revealed it has increased the number of its 5G sites to 690, up from 372 when the network went live. Airtel plans to launch an additional 1000 sites by the end of this year bringing the total number of 5G sites to 1690. This rollout is the biggest ever in Airtel Kenya’s operations to improve indoor coverage in towns and connect rural areas.
The rollout will especially focus on enhancing and deepening Airtel’s network coverage in the northeastern region of the country.
“At Airtel, we are steadfast in our dedication to supporting digital inclusion, and we are encouraged by the market’s response to our offerings. We are confident that our ongoing network expansion will enable us to extend connectivity to more communities nationwide, ensuring that no one is left behind in the digital revolution,” Ashish Malhotra, Managing Director, Airtel Kenya said.
In marking this milestone Airtel Kenya has rolled out the unlimited home broadband 5G plans, structured across three tiers: 10 Mbps at Kes 3,500 monthly, 20 Mbps at Kes 5,000 monthly, and 30 Mbps at Kes 6,500 monthly. Subscription to the plans requires an Airtel 5G router, available at all Airtel shops for Kes 2,999.
This latest announcement by Airtel Kenya comes at a time when the number of 5G users in the country continues to increase. The latest statistics from the Communication Authority revealed the number of 5G network users in the country had increased to 509,737 in the last three months to September 2023. This was a 13.3% increase representing 59,943 users from the 449,794 recorded by the authority as of June.
These stats point to an increase in demand for high internet speeds propelled by technological advancements in the country.
As of November 2023, Kenya’s leading telco Safaricom had also increased its 5G coverage to select towns across 35 counties.
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