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

Safaricom has strengthened its leadership in Kenya’s fixed internet market, growing its market share to 35.5 per cent and increasing its subscriber base to 941,501 customers, according to the latest sector statistics released by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA).

The CA’s third-quarter 2025/26 report shows that Safaricom added more than 83,000 new fixed broadband customers between December 2025 and March 2026, increasing its market share from 34.9 per cent in the previous quarter.

The growth comes amid rapid transformation in Kenya’s fixed broadband market, with operators increasing internet speeds, improving affordability, and expanding access to underserved customer segments.

Other key players in the market include Jamii Telecommunications Limited (Faiba), Wananchi Group (Zuku), and Poa Internet Kenya Limited, with market shares of 20.1 per cent, 11.1 per cent, and 10.7 per cent, respectively.

“Most fixed internet subscriptions in Kenya are on speeds between the 10 and 30 Mbps bands, mainly due to their affordability and reliability for most subscribers,” the Communications Authority noted in its report.

As the market leader, Safaricom has positioned 15 Mbps as the entry-level speed on its most affordable fibre package; a move expected to further accelerate broadband adoption and usage.

The opportunity for growth remains significant. While Kenya has more than eight million households connected to electricity, only 2.7 million currently have fixed internet subscriptions.

In its financial year ending March 2026, Safaricom recorded 32 per cent growth in fixed broadband subscribers and a 12 per cent increase in revenue from the segment, underlining the strategic importance of the business.

The company has also transformed its fibre deployment model, leveraging technological innovations and lower installation costs to expand connectivity beyond traditional high-income residential areas.

Existing customers have benefited from doubled internet speeds at no additional cost, while new solutions such as WiFi Bamba are enabling affordable home fibre connectivity in lower-income communities, including the Affordable Housing Project in Mukuru, Nairobi.

Safaricom is also piloting tokenisation models that would allow customers to purchase short-term, high-speed internet access within fibre-enabled zones, while its partnership with Huawei on Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) solutions is improving connectivity experiences within homes and businesses.

The broader sector continues to benefit from major investments in international connectivity infrastructure. According to the Communications Authority, Kenya’s international internet bandwidth grew by 16.4 per cent to 28,130.3 Gbps.

“This growth was driven by increasing demand for higher capacity and faster internet speeds. Notably, SEACOM expanded its capacity by 53.3 per cent to 10,500.0 Gbps. Consequently, total utilized bandwidth capacity grew by 3.0 per cent to 17,758.824 Gbps,” the report noted.

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