Safaricom, one of the leading telecommunications companies in Kenya, has now stretched its coverage of the fifth-generation network across the whole of the country’s 47 counties. Notable in the increase is the rise in the number of sites to 1,114 from 803 sites in March of this year with the announcement of its 311th new site in the last four months. This phase will be the key in increasing internet connectivity as the force behind digital transformation in Kenya.
The Safaricom 5G network is now available to cover about 14% of the country’s population, with sites in 102 towns. This wide coverage enabled a very high number of 5G smartphones to be put into use: 780,000 in total, with 11,000 of those utilized by enterprise customers. The expansion points to a rising demand for fast connectivities in Kenya, even as many more people and enterprises look to 5G technology as a better way to improve their connectivities and hence productivity.
Peter Ndegwa, Safaricom CEO, explained how the company has engaged in ensuring it maintains leadership in Kenya’s digital transformation. He said, “Safaricom remains committed to leading Kenya’s digital transformation through the provision of a worry-free, always-on ubiquitous network enabling access to information, critical services and communication, therefore bridging the digital divide.” This probably explains the ambition with which Safaricom has undertaken to foster technological improvements and innovation across the country.
Strategic expansion by Safaricom has seen them outwit their main competitor, Airtel, in the rollout of 5G sites. As of March, Safaricom activated 803 5G sites, outpacing Airtel’s 690 sites. This is a huge turnaround from the last year when it was hell-bent with 370 sites compared to Safaricom’s 205. A further look at the bold expansion at Safaricom shows that it has set up an additional 909 sites within a year.
This goes on as Safaricom has ushered in a fast-paced ambition of having over 1,700 sites on its 5G network by March 2025. This will complement the company’s ambition to stay at the pinnacle of the fast-growing telecommunications market. According to the Communications Authority of Kenya, 5G mobile data subscribers in the country surged 74% in total numbers to 653,716 users by March 2024 from 373,537 posted the previous year. This trend is showing an increasing appetite for high-speed internet, driven by fast-advancing technologies.
However, the take-up level of the 5G technology will face some challenges, with the biggest challenge being the cost to both the devices and data bundles. Though it is faster than the available 4G network right now, 5G requires very high-quality smartphones and very expensive data plans, hence making it out of reach to the majority. This, therefore, calls for ways in which the obstacles will be overcome to assure Safaricom and other stakeholders that 5G is taken up on a wider scale.