Kenya is among 11 African countries expected to phase out 2G and 3G mobile networks by 2030 as operators accelerate the shift to faster 4G and 5G broadband.
The planned switch-off is part of a new roadmap by the GSM Association (GSMA) aimed at narrowing Africa’s digital usage gap and connecting one billion more people to the internet by 2030.
The GSMA, in partnership with the Partnership for Digital Access in Africa (PDAA), unveiled the Advancing Digital Connectivity in Africa roadmap on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Other targeted are Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa.
The roadmap comes as demand for older-generation mobile networks continues to weaken in Kenya, with consumers and businesses increasingly moving to faster broadband services.
Data from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) shows that 2G subscriptions fell 27.3 percent year-on-year to 9.3 million in June 2026, from 12.8 million a year earlier.
3G subscriptions recorded an even sharper decline, falling 39.2 percent from 7.4 million to 4.5 million over the same period.
The decline has coincided with a rapid expansion of 4G and 5G connections.
4G subscriptions rose from 37.2 million in 2025 to 48.3 million by June 2026, while 5G subscriptions increased from 1.2 million to 2.1 million.
The figures point to a steady migration of Kenyan consumers from legacy networks to higher-speed mobile broadband, creating room for operators to eventually retire older technologies and redirect investment towards newer networks.
“Africa has already built much of the network foundation for its digital future. The urgent task now is to close the usage gap by making smartphones and services affordable, equipping people with practical skills, building trust and ensuring connectivity delivers visible value in people’s daily lives,” said John Giusti, GSMA Chief Regulatory Officer and President of GSMA Foundation said:
The GSMA estimates that Africa’s internet usage gap stands at 906 million people, equivalent to about 60 percent of the continent’s population.
The new roadmap seeks to address barriers beyond network coverage, including the cost of smartphones and data, lack of digital skills, unreliable electricity and limited consumer trust in digital services.
“The goal is ambitious, but it is achievable. If we bring together connectivity, electrification, affordable devices and digital skills – and if we match Africa’s many promising programmes with the power of genuine public-private partnership – we can ensure that the continent’s digital transformation leaves no community behind,” said Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Co-Chair of PDAA.
The roadmap also calls for closer integration of energy and telecommunications infrastructure to improve the reliability of connectivity and expand device usage.
It further promotes infrastructure sharing among operators as a way of reducing deployment costs and, ultimately, keeping connectivity affordable for consumers.
For mobile operators, the retirement of 2G and 3G networks could free spectrum and network resources for newer technologies while reducing the cost of maintaining multiple generations of infrastructure.
However, the transition also requires consumers using older handsets and devices to upgrade to 4G- and 5G-compatible equipment.
Within the East African Community, Rwanda is currently the only country to have launched a programme to phase out 2G networks as it moves users towards higher-speed mobile broadband.
For Kenya, the sharp fall in 2G and 3G subscriptions suggests the market is already moving in the direction envisaged by the GSMA, although a full switch-off will depend on regulatory decisions, network readiness and the ability of consumers still reliant on older technologies to migrate.
