Kenya’s fixed broadband sector recorded strong growth in the first quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, powered by continued fibre rollouts alongside a fast-growing wireless segment.
Industry data shows total fixed internet subscriptions climbed by 6.9% to 2.29 million, signalling deeper digital uptake across the country. According to Communications Authority figures for July to September 2025, the market is evolving as fibre remains the backbone, while more affordable wireless solutions are expanding fastest as operators chase peri-urban and underserved communities. Satellite services, despite growing, still account for under 1% of all connections.
Safaricom PLC maintained its dominance, adding 80,000 new users to reach 815,037 home internet customers and a 35.6% market share. Jamii Telecommunications followed with 466,458 subscribers, while Wananchi Group, including Simbanet and Wananchi Telecom, held third place with 270,320 connections.
Competition was especially lively among mid-sized providers. Poa Internet and Ahadi Wireless reported subscriber bases of 265,729 and 181,719 respectively. Smaller wireless ISPs such as Vilcom Networks and Mawingu Networks also posted strong gains, highlighting an increasingly crowded and diverse market.
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Fibre connections continued to underpin growth, rising 5.4% to 1.27 million subscriptions. Most users opted for mid-tier fibre packages, with more than 960,000 customers choosing speeds between 10 and 30 Mbps. Demand for premium speeds remained limited, with subscriptions of 1 Gbps and above dropping 18.5% over the quarter.
Wireless broadband emerged as the fastest-growing category, with fixed-wireless subscriptions jumping 10.2% to 814,782. This included 795,020 terrestrial wireless links and 19,762 satellite connections. The expansion of providers such as Vilcom, Mawingu and Vijiji Connect reflects a push into areas beyond fibre coverage using faster, lower-cost deployment models.
Satellite internet, led by Starlink’s 19,470 users, continued to grow modestly. High equipment costs and regulatory hurdles are still holding back wider adoption, though the service remains vital for remote locations.
On the infrastructure side, Kenya’s total lit international bandwidth stayed steady at 22,311 Gbps, supported by undersea cables including SEACOM, EASSY, TEAMS and DARE 1. However, utilised capacity rose by 2.8%, pointing to steadily increasing demand for high-speed connectivity nationwide.
