Kenya's 5G Infrastructure Shifts with Safaricom Taking the Helm
In the rapidly evolving world of telecommunications, Kenya is making significant strides in the adoption and expansion of 5G technology. Two major players, Safaricom and Airtel Kenya, are leading the charge, with Telkom Kenya and Jamii Telecommunications (JTL) following closely behind.
As of March 2024, Safaricom, the market leader with 44.7 million subscribers, operates 803 active 5G sites across 43 Kenyan counties. Airtel Kenya, with 19.9 million subscribers, joined the 5G race in July 2023 and has since nearly doubled its 5G sites, from approximately 370 to 690, across 39 counties.
Safaricom's CEO, Peter Ndegwa, has announced plans to add another 700-1,000 sites, targeting a total of 2,000 5G sites by the end of 2025. Airtel Kenya, in response, has announced an aggressive network expansion drive, aiming to roll out close to 1,000 sites before the end of 2024. This drive focuses on improving indoor coverage in towns, connecting rural areas, and enhancing network coverage in the northeastern region of Kenya.
Interestingly, while Safaricom and Airtel are making significant strides in 5G adoption, 4G remains dominant. Over 46% of Safaricom users and all of JTL's subscribers are on 4G networks. However, the increasing availability of 5G services and compatible devices suggests a promising future for high-speed connectivity in Kenya.
The competition between Safaricom and Airtel Kenya is driving rapid infrastructure development in Kenya's 5G market. As of March 2024, only about 1% of all mobile subscriptions in Kenya were 5G. Projections suggest that 3.8% of all mobile subscriptions will be 5G by the end of 2024, and nearly 12% by 2026.
Telkom Kenya and JTL trail behind with 1.5 million and 545,000 mobile users respectively. As of March 2024, neither Telkom Kenya nor JTL has launched 5G services yet. At the end of 2024, before Telkom Kenya started its 5G services, there is no specific publicly available data on the exact size of Telkom Kenya's 5G infrastructure.
In terms of user adoption, approximately 1.3% of Safaricom's user base was using 5G, while only 0.3% of Airtel's subscribers had adopted the technology. Interestingly, over 50% of Airtel's base still relied on 2G technology.
Safaricom's annual report revealed a 79% growth in 5G devices on its network over 12 months, reaching about 669,700 devices. Overall, smartphones on Safaricom's network increased by nearly 13% to 22.9 million, with 4G devices accounting for 16.85 million of those.
The increasing availability of 5G services and compatible devices, coupled with the competition between Safaricom and Airtel Kenya, is set to revolutionise the telecommunications landscape in Kenya, promising a future of faster, more reliable, and widespread high-speed internet access.
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