Top Mobile Operators in Kenya
View the list of the top mobile operators in Kenya, based on the findings of the Marcopolis.net research team. Safaricom is leading the list, controlling more than 70 per cent market share in Kenya in the sub-sectors of voice, SMS and data.
List of the Leading Mobile Operators in Kenya
The telecommunications sector in Kenya is very vibrant. The industry is controlled by the Communications Authority, a regulatory body established in 1999 by the Kenya Information and Communications Act. The Authority is responsible for facilitating the development of the Information and Communications sectors including; broadcasting, multimedia, telecommunications, electronic commerce, postal and courier services.
Recent research found that Kenya’s mobile phone operators bagged Sh55.8 billion in the second quarter of 2016, with Safaricom, East Africa’s most profitable firm, accounting for about 90 per cent of this income. The remaining came from Airtel and Orange Kenya. In total, Safaricom controls more than 70 per cent market share in Kenya in the sub-sectors of voice, SMS and data.
According to the latest statistics by the Communications Authority of Kenya, the mobile telephone sub-sector demonstrated an upward trend during the period of January to March 2016, with mobile subscriptions growing by 1.8 per cent to reach 38.3 million up from 37.7 million subscriptions recorded during the previous quarter. Consequently, mobile penetration increased to 89.2 per cent up from 87.7 per cent recorded last quarter.
During the quarter under review, pre-paid mobile subscriptions rose to 37.2 million subscriptions up from 36.7 million in the last quarter. Similarly, post-paid subscriptions grew from one million to one million eighty thousand (1,080,000) subscriptions during the same the period.
Top Mobile Operators in Kenya
Marcopolis.net presents the top mobile operators in Kenya. The rankings are based on the findings of the Marcopolis.net research team.
The List
| Rank | Company | Country | Industry | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenya | Telecommunications | Safaricom provides voice, data, financial services and enterprise solutions for a range of subscribers, small businesses and government, using a variety of platforms. As the biggest communication company in East and Central Africa, Safaricom serves over 25.1 million subscribers, providing over 200,000 touch points for its customers and offering over 100 different products under its portfolio. Safaricom pioneered commercial mobile money transfer globally through M-PESA, the most successful service of its kind anywhere in the world. Launched in March 2007, M-PESA now has over 23 million customers and over 100,000 M-PESA Agent outlets countrywide. | |
| 2 | India | Telecommunications | Airtel Kenya is one of the biggest telecommunications firms in the country and the fourth largest globally, in terms of subscriber base. It is owned by Bharti Airtel Limited, an Indian global telecommunications services company based in New Delhi, India. Bharti Airtel operates in 18 countries across South Asia, Africa, and the Channel Islands. Airtel provides GSM, 3G and 4G LTE mobile services, fixed line broadband and voice services depending upon the country of operation. It is the largest mobile network operator in India and the third largest in the world with 325 million subscribers. | |
| 3 | Kenya/France | Telecommunications | Telkom Kenya was established as a telecommunications operator under the Companies Act in April 1999. The company provides integrated communications solutions in Kenya with a wide range of voice and data services as well as network facilities for residential and business customers. Telkom Kenya is the sole provider of landline phone services in the country. It was previously a part of the Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (KPTC) which was the sole provider of both postal and telecommunication services. In 1999 KPTC was split into the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), the Postal Corporation of Kenya (POSTA) and Telkom Kenya. |