SAFARICOM has crossed the one-million mark in fixed internet subscriptions, strengthening its position as Kenya’s largest provider as competition and demand for high-speed connectivity intensify.
Data from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) shows the telco had 1.025 million fixed data and internet subscriptions by the end of June, giving it a 36.1 per cent market share.
The milestone caps a rapid expansion of Safaricom’s home and business broadband business, which had 735,749 subscriptions a year earlier.
This means the operator added about 289,000 subscriptions over the 12 months, representing annual growth of 39.3 per cent.
The growth has come as Kenya’s overall fixed internet market has expanded rapidly, with total subscriptions rising 32.4 per cent year-on-year to 2.84 million in June from 2.14 million a year earlier.
The CA says the growth has been driven by intense competition, the shifting digital economy and aggressive infrastructure rollouts. Fixed internet subscriptions also increased 6.9 per cent between March and June.
Safaricom’s rise is particularly striking over the longer term. Its fixed internet base stood at 269,397 five years ago and only 40,015 in September 2017, when fixed broadband was still a relatively small segment of Kenya’s telecommunications market.
Its market share has consequently more than doubled from 15.2 per cent in September 2017 to 36.1 per cent currently.
Jamii Telecommunications remained a distant second with 541,003 subscriptions and a 19.1 per cent market share, followed by Wananchi Group, which includes Zuku, with 294,375 subscriptions and 10.4 per cent.
The most notable movement below the top three came from Ahadi Wireless, operator of Konnect Internet, which climbed to fourth position with 270,586 subscriptions, equivalent to 9.5 per cent of the market.
Ahadi’s rise came as Poa Internet lost ground. Its subscriptions fell 3.1 per cent during the quarter to 248,601 and were 7.4 per cent below the level recorded a year earlier.
Poa has now posted four consecutive quarterly declines from a peak of 268,554 subscriptions in June 2025, cutting its market share to 8.8 per cent.
Vilcom Network recorded the fastest annual growth among the major providers, more than doubling its subscriptions to 186,240 from 87,654 a year earlier. Its market share rose to 6.6 per cent.
Mawingu Networks also expanded strongly, with subscriptions increasing 37.3 per cent to 105,275, while Starlink grew 58.5 per cent to 27,616.
The broader market is also undergoing a technology shift. Fibre remained the dominant fixed-access technology, with subscriptions rising 29.7 per cent to 1.57 million.
Terrestrial wireless, however, grew faster, increasing 42.9 per cent to 1.03 million, while satellite subscriptions rose 54.4 per cent to 27,695.
The CA attributed particularly strong growth in other fixed technologies, which rose 471.1 per cent, to increased roll-out of radio technology by operators including Airtel, Jamii Telecommunications and Fiberlink.
In contrast, ageing copper-based DSL subscriptions declined 25.8 per cent to just 23.
The intensifying competition is also being reflected in service offerings. Safaricom increased speeds on several Home Fibre packages in April without corresponding monthly price increases, while Zuku followed with speed increases across several packages in May.
Ownership and investment have also shifted. Wananchi Group, Zuku’s parent, came under new ownership after AXIAN Telecom Fibre completed the acquisition of 99.6 per cent of the group in 2025.
Mawingu separately secured a $20 million investment from Pembani Remgro Infrastructure Fund II to support expansion into underserved markets.
The wider ICT sector continued to expand during the quarter. Mobile subscriptions reached 88 million by June, while mobile data subscriptions rose to 64.3 million. Mobile money subscriptions stood at 54 million.
Internet capacity is also expanding. Total available international bandwidth increased 18.5 per cent year-on-year to 26,428 Gbps during the financial year, while utilised bandwidth rose 23.9 per cent.
