Safaricom has become the first internet service provider in Kenya to surpass one million fixed broadband subscribers, reaching 1,024,950 customers by the end of June 2026, according to data from the Communications Authority of Kenya. The milestone gives the telecom operator a 36.1% share of the fixed broadband market, marking a significant expansion of a business that had a limited presence in the sector nine years ago.
The growth has been driven largely by Safaricom’s ability to combine its mobile, mobile money and broadband services within one customer ecosystem. By June 2026, the company controlled nearly 70% of mobile subscriptions and 88% of mobile money transfers, giving it a large existing customer base to which it could market home broadband services.
Safaricom has also integrated broadband with mobile services through offerings such as Family Share, allowing customers to connect home internet with mobile data, voice and SMS services. This approach has positioned fibre as part of a broader connectivity package rather than as a standalone product, encouraging customers to use multiple Safaricom services together.
The company has prioritised subscriber growth through competitive pricing and higher speeds. In April 2026, Safaricom increased speeds on most residential fibre plans without raising prices, with the 15 Mbps package increasing to 40 Mbps at KES 3,000 per month and the 30 Mbps package rising to 60 Mbps at KES 4,100. However, this strategy contributed to a 2.5% year-on-year decline in fibre-to-the-home average revenue per user to KES 2,297 in the latest financial year.
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Despite the pressure on revenue per customer, Safaricom’s fixed services and IoT business recorded 12.2% growth to KES 20.2 billion, supported by a 45.9% increase in connected homes. The company also reported record net income of KES 95.6 billion for the financial year ended March 2026, while traditional messaging revenue declined as consumers increasingly moved to internet-based communication platforms.
Broadband adoption remains uneven across Kenya, with fixed internet penetration standing at 17.3% in urban areas compared with 0.6% in rural areas. Safaricom has responded by reducing fixed broadband installation costs and introducing lower-cost options such as its KES 1,600 WiFi Bamba package, aimed at customers in selected estates and underserved peri-urban communities.
The company is nevertheless facing increasing competitive pressure. Rivals are expanding their networks and offering different combinations of pricing, speeds and data allowances, while Safaricom’s data-throttling policies have generated concerns among some heavy users. Competitors such as Faiba, with unmetered plans, and Z
