Safaricom extends 5G network to all Kenyan counties

Telecommunications operator Safaricom has extended its 5G network to all 47 Kenyan counties.

Following the launch of 311 new sites over the past four months, Safaricom's total number of 5G sites has surged from 803 in March to 1,114.

The expansion means that Safaricom's 5G network now covers 14% of the Kenyan population with sites in 102 towns. According to the telco, more people, businesses and homes are now benefiting from high-speed Internet.

It added that it now has over 780,000 active 5G smartphones on its network, and over 11,000 enterprise customers using 5G.

Just last month, the company announced that it had overtaken its rival Airtel Kenya in the number of active 5G sites it has in the East African country.

Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa said the company remained committed to leading Kenya's digital transformation by providing a network that enables access to information, critical services and communication, bridging the digital divide.

"We believe that the benefits of 5G will be a key catalyst in leapfrogging other innovations, industries as well as Kenya's digital economy," he added.

Kenya's 5G growth

Safaricom was the first to launch 5G in Kenya in October 2022 with just 35 sites and soon began expanding its coverage across the country.

Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa spoke to Connecting Africa in a video interview in late 2023 and said the group planned to add another 700 to 1,000 sites with a goal of having 2,000 5G sites by the end of 2025.

Safaricom now has more than 780,000 active 5G smartphones on its network, and over 11,000 enterprise customers using 5G. (Source: Image by freepik)

Airtel Kenya launched its 5G network in July 2023 with around 370 sites at launch and almost doubled that to 690 a year later.

However, third-placed operator Telkom Kenya and fourth-placed Jamii Telecommunications (JTL) have yet to launch 5G.

Statistics from market research company Omdia, a sister company of Connecting Africa, show that Safaricom is Kenya's biggest mobile operator, with 44.8 million mobile subscribers at the end of the second quarter of 2024, compared to almost 20.3 million for Airtel Kenya.

Telkom Kenya had 1 million users over the same timeframe and JTL had just 589,597 mobile customers.

Despite the growth in 5G sites in Kenya, Omdia statistics show that only about 1% of all mobile subscriptions in the country were 5G at the end of Q2 2024.

Omdia predicts that 5G subscriptions will rise to 3.8% of the Kenyan total by the end of 2024 and will account for nearly 12% by 2026.

*Top image shows Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa at a results presentation in Nairobi, Kenya, in May 2024. (Source: Safaricom)

— Matshepo Sehloho, Associate Editor, Connecting Africa