Kenya’s mobile market continued to expand in the first quarter of 2026, with the number of devices connected to local networks reaching 78.7 million as smartphone ownership gained ground and demand for mobile data increased.
Smartphones accounted for 52.3 million of the devices, representing 63.7 per cent of the total, according to the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA). The figures point to the growing role of smartphones in accessing financial services, education, business opportunities, news and other essential services.
“From sending money and accessing market updates to learning, doing business and accessing essential services, mobile phones are transforming how Kenyans connect, work and create opportunities,” the Authority said.
The figures are contained in the CA’s third-quarter sector statistics report for the 2025/26 financial year, covering January to March 2026. The report also tracks developments in broadband, mobile money, fixed networks, courier services, broadcasting, frequency spectrum and electronic transactions.
Active mobile subscriptions increased by 7.4 per cent during the quarter to reach 84.1 million, pushing mobile penetration to 157.7 per cent.
The regulator linked the increase to customer win-back campaigns by operators, with prepaid lines making up the largest share at 96.5 per cent of all active subscriptions.
Machine-to-machine subscriptions recorded an 8.8 per cent increase to two million, while mobile money subscriptions rose 3.9 per cent to 53.4 million. This placed mobile money penetration at 100.1 per cent.
The number of registered mobile money agents also grew sharply, increasing by 20.2 per cent to 602,470.
Safaricom continued to command the largest portion of the mobile market. It held 68.9 per cent of mobile subscriptions, 62.7 per cent of mobile broadband subscriptions and 89.1 per cent of mobile money subscriptions.
Mobile data subscriptions grew by one per cent to 62.6 million, with broadband users accounting for 84.4 per cent of the total.
Data consumption rose six per cent to 800 million gigabytes during the quarter. Average consumption per subscription also increased from 14.6GB to 15.1GB.
Users on 5G networks recorded the highest average data consumption, using 53.5GB per subscription.
The report also recorded a shift in the type of handsets being used by Kenyans. Feature phone connections fell by 3.7 per cent to 28.5 million, while smartphone connections increased by three per cent to 50.2 million during the January-March period.
The total number of mobile devices stood at 78.7 million, translating to a penetration rate of 147.6 per cent.
Voice and messaging patterns also changed during the quarter. Domestic mobile voice traffic increased by 2.6 per cent to 32.3 billion minutes, while SMS traffic declined by 2.7 per cent to 14 billion messages.
The CA attributed the lower use of traditional calls and SMS to the growing preference for internet-based communication services, including WhatsApp.
International incoming mobile voice traffic reached 176.4 million minutes, while outgoing international calls stood at 192.8 million minutes. International SMS traffic recorded a decline during the period.
The fixed internet market also expanded, with fixed data subscriptions increasing by 7.9 per cent to 2.66 million.
Available international bandwidth grew by 16.4 per cent to 28,130.3Gbps, while utilised bandwidth rose three per cent to 17,758.8Gbps.
In the postal and courier sector, activity generally declined after the festive period. However, international incoming courier parcels increased by 26.2 per cent.
Broadcasting subscriptions fell by 5.1 per cent to 1.58 million.
The number of assigned microwave links increased 1.7 per cent to 10,508, while assigned FM frequencies rose 0.5 per cent to 976.
The number of registered .ke domains also increased during the quarter, rising 5.4 per cent to 124,498.
Cybersecurity activity remained high, although the number of threats detected fell compared with the previous quarter. The National KE-CIRT/CC detected 3.4 billion cyber threats, a 26.1 per cent decline, and issued 20.6 million advisories.
The CA said the period was characterised by continued growth in mobile subscriptions, 4G and 5G broadband and data consumption.
At the same time, the sector continued to move away from 3G services and feature phones, a trend the regulator attributed to lower handset prices, wider high-speed network coverage and increased demand for mobile services in economic and social activities.
The Communications Authority regulates telecommunications services, protects consumers and promotes universal access to communication services. Its quarterly sector statistics are based on information provided by communications service providers.