Customer Survey Ranks Safaricom as Most Reliable Mobile Internet Provider in Kenya
Safaricom Plc ranked as Kenya’s most reliable mobile internet provider in a recent customer survey, with users reporting more stable speeds and fewer disruptions than those on Airtel, Telkom Kenya and Jamii Telkom.
Survey results show Safaricom recorded the lowest proportion of negative speed assessments among respondents who expressed an opinion. About 4.4% of users rated its internet speeds as very slow, while 5.2% described them as slow, although a relatively large share selected “don’t know,”.
Airtel’s mobile internet feedback clustered around average performance, alongside a meaningful segment reporting faster speeds. Around 17.3% of respondents rated Airtel’s speeds as fast and 9.3% as very fast, while more than 10% said speeds were slow or very slow.
Jamii Telkom recorded the highest dissatisfaction levels. About 17.1% of users described speeds as very slow, with a further 26.8% rating them as slow. Telkom Kenya’s results were more polarized. While 12.5% of respondents rated speeds as very slow and 19.6% as slow, a notable share reported stronger performance, with 14.3% selecting fast and 19.6% very fast.
The findings come as mobile data usage in Kenya continues to rise, driven by expanded 4G coverage, early-stage 5G rollout and increasing smartphone adoption. Mobile data traffic grew 38.4% in the second quarter of 2025 to 620.2 million gigabytes, according to sector data.
By September 2025, the average mobile broadband user was consuming 14.3 gigabytes per quarter.
Consumption is materially higher among fifth-generation users. Customers on 5G networks now average about 40 gigabytes per month, increasing pressure on operators to maintain consistent speeds and network stability as usage shifts toward video streaming, cloud services and real-time applications.
Mobile data subscriptions reached 60.2 million by late 2025, with 4G connections accounting for nearly 85% of all mobile broadband users. More than 75 million mobile devices are connected to Kenyan networks, translating to a penetration rate of 143.1%.
Smartphones represent close to 60% of connected devices, reinforcing mobile internet as the primary access channel for many users.
Despite the overall growth, usage remains uneven across the country. Nairobi records the highest internet usage rate at 64.7%, while counties such as West Pokot trail at about 9.1%.
Jefferson Wachira is a writer at Africa Digest News, specializing in banking and finance trends, and their impact on African economies.
