The Communications Authority of Kenya’s latest sector statistics report for Q3 of the 2024/2025 financial year (January-March 2025) reveals significant developments in Kenya’s digital landscape. Let’s break down the most important trends and what they mean for Kenya’s tech ecosystem.
Mobile Network Services: Penetration Deepens
Kenya’s mobile sector continues to show remarkable growth:
- Mobile penetration hit 145.3% with 76.2 million active SIM cards, up 6.7% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ)
- Smartphone adoption reaches 80.8% penetration (42.3 million devices), while feature phones maintain strong presence at 62.2% penetration (32.6 million)
- Mobile money subscriptions grew 7.2% to 45.4 million (86.6% penetration), keeping Kenya at the forefront of financial inclusion
The report attributes much of this growth to aggressive customer retention campaigns by operators during the period.
Data Consumption Patterns
Kenya’s appetite for mobile data continues to expand:
- Mobile data subscriptions grew 1.9% to 57.2 million
- 4G dominates with 36.3 million subscriptions (63.5% of total), while 5G shows promising growth (up 17.1% to 1.18 million)
- Total mobile broadband consumption reached 576,458.8 Terabytes (up 1.4%), though average consumption per subscription slightly declined to 13.0GB from 13.1GB
Interestingly, while 4G has the most subscribers, 5G users consume significantly more data per subscription (27.6GB vs 13.4GB for 4G).
Fixed Internet: Wireless Growth Outpaces Traditional Solutions
The fixed internet market showed notable developments:
- Total fixed internet subscriptions grew 8.1% to 1.86 million
- Terrestrial wireless subscriptions surged 13.9%, while satellite subscriptions (including Starlink) declined 9.9%
- Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) leads with 1.13 million subscriptions (up 6.1%)
- Speed tiers between 10-30Mbps are most popular, followed by 2-10Mbps
Safaricom maintains its fixed internet leadership with 36.5% market share, followed by JTL (22.5%) and Wananchi Group (14.4%).
International Connectivity and Cybersecurity
- International bandwidth utilization grew 32.6%, driven by satellite capacity usage
- Cyber threats detected skyrocketed 201.7% to 2.54 billion, with system vulnerabilities accounting for 97.4% of all threats
- Cyber advisories increased 14.2% to 13.2 million as defenses ramped up
Market Dynamics and Pricing
The mobile market remains competitive:
- Safaricom dominates voice traffic (64.9% share) and SMS (89.0% share)
- Average PAYG tariffs: KES 3.92/min for voice, KES 1.19/SMS, KES 4.59/MB for data
- Airtel offers most affordable voice at KES 2.78/min vs Safaricom’s KES 4.87/min
Key Takeaways for Kenya’s Tech Future
- 5G adoption is accelerating, though from a small base, with users demonstrating significantly higher data consumption patterns
- Fixed wireless solutions are gaining traction faster than traditional wired options, suggesting consumers value flexibility
- The cybersecurity landscape is becoming more complex, with threats growing much faster than defensive measures
- Mobile money continues to drive financial inclusion, with growth outpacing overall mobile subscription increases
- Infrastructure sharing and new technologies may be needed to address the 145%+ mobile penetration rate
Kenya’s ICT sector remains one of Africa’s most dynamic, with these Q3 2025 results showing both the maturation of existing services and the emergence of next-generation technologies. The challenge for regulators and operators will be maintaining this growth while ensuring affordability and security in an increasingly connected nation.
