Airtel and Telkom have continued to lose subscribers even as rival Safaricom and Jamii Telecommunications expanded their customer bases, according to the latest data from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA).
The regulator’s report shows Airtel shed 869,534 SIM card subscribers in the second quarter of 2025, a 3.5 percent dip. Telkom Kenya fared worse, losing 297,000 subscribers, equivalent to a 25.5 percent slump in its base.
This saw the two operators’ market positions eroded further, with Airtel’s share falling across mobile, voice, and internet, while Telkom’s footprint in the sector remains marginal.
Despite the losses, Airtel maintained a respectable 36.3 percent share of voice traffic, though its grip on SMS stood at just 11.5 percent against Safaricom’s overwhelming dominance. In mobile broadband, Airtel controlled 33.2 percent of subscriptions, a distant second to Safaricom. Telkom, by contrast, managed just 1.2 percent in the same segment.
On the fixed internet front, where competition is more dynamic, Telkom was largely edged out by rivals. The space was led by Safaricom with 34.3 percent, followed by Jamii at 20.6 percent, Wananchi at 12.7 percent, and Poa at 12.5 percent.
Smaller players such as Ahadi Wireless, Vilcom, and Mawingu carved out niche markets, while global entrant Starlink remained below one percent.
In sharp contrast to Airtel and Telkom’s declines, Safaricom grew stronger, adding 1.7 million SIM card subscribers to reach 49.9 million, translating to 65.1 percent of the market.
It now dominates every major telecom segment, holding 63.4 percent of voice traffic, 88.5 percent of SMS, 62.8 percent of mobile broadband, and an unrivalled 90.9 percent of mobile money subscriptions.
The CA noted that Kenya’s total internet subscriptions rose by 27.3 percent year-on-year to 58.5 million, driven largely by increased smartphone uptake.