2G And 3G Use Decreases As Demand For Better Internet Grows

Kenyans’ appetite for better and faster internet is growing, and there is a shift away from feature phones, increasing pressure on telcos to invest more, according to the latest sector statistics report by the telecommunications regulator.

The Communications Authority of Kenya reports that mobile data subscriptions to 2G and 3G technologies have maintained a downward trend as 4G and 5G subscriptions maintain steady growth.

In real numbers, the number of 2G subscriptions dropped from 10.4 millions to 9.7 million between December 2025 and March 2026. 3G subscriptions dropped from 5.6 million to 5 million.

On the other hand, 4G subscriptions grew from 44.1 million to 45.9 million while 5G subscriotions grew by a lesser number, from 1.7 million to 1.9 million.

As they upgrade to better smartphones, Kenyans are also increasing their usage of data, with 800 million GB used in the quarter, a six per cent increase from the previous three months.

The increased usage is also replicated at personal level, with the Communications Authority stating: “During the quarter, the average mobile broadband consumption per subscription increased from 14.6 GB to 15.1 GB with 5G users recording the highest usage at 53.5 GB.”

Increased subscriptions for better and faster data have been accompanied by a growth in smartphone penetration, which have now outpaced feature phones. As at March 2026, there are now more than 50 million smartphones in Kenya, compared to 28.5 million feature phones.

For telecommunications companies, the upshot of the growing demand for better and faster data is the need for telecommunications companies to invest more in growing their network.

Safaricom has been leading the pace in regard, investing more than KSh500 billion over the last decade in capital expenditure (capex). The company invested KSh55.8 billion in capex in the financial year that ended in March 2026. Of that, KSh38.6 billion went into the network.

With focus on an asset-light strategy, Airtel Kenya, Safaricom’s biggest competitor in connectivity and mobile data, has put its money in infrastructure leasing, spectrum acquisition and network modernisation, making it difficult to establish exactly how much it has spent on capex. Airtel Africa indicated in its results for the last financial year that it spent $884 million on capex.

The Communications Authority also reported growing demand in fixed data, where the total subscriptions grew from 2.5 million to 2.7 million in three months. Data delivered via fibre optic cables has the biggest number of subscribers at 1.5 million.

Reduced installation costs and the adoption of a more open strategy has resulted in the doubling of speeds for users of fixed broadband since May, which should result in growth in the sector.

Increased demand for fixed broadband is underpinned by an increase in international internet bandwidth to 28,130.3 Gbps.

“This growth was driven by ever-growing user demand for more capacity and faster internet speeds,” said the Communications Authority in the report.

Read Also: Safaricom Grows Fixed Internet Market Share to 35.5% as Subscriber Base Nears One Million