Kenya’s mobile network operators are at different levels of readiness to handle surging data consumption, according to the latest Quality-of-Service (QoS) report by the Communications Authority of Kenya.The 2024–2025 assessment shows that while demand for mobile data continues to grow rapidly, only some operators are keeping pace with the required network capacity upgrades. Safaricom PLC leads the sector with an overall QoS score of 89.72 percent, demonstrating strong resilience under increasing usage pressure.Airtel Kenya follows at 81.14 percent, meeting the regulatory threshold but showing signs of strain in maintaining consistent performance across regions. Telkom Kenya lags significantly at 52.76 percent, reflecting limited capacity to cope with rising demand.The report indicates that network performance challenges are closely tied to data traffic growth, with congestion and reduced service quality becoming more visible in areas where infrastructure investment has not kept pace.Safaricom’s ability to meet targets in all five regions sets it apart as the only operator demonstrating full nationwide readiness for current demand levels. In contrast, Airtel’s partial regional compliance and Telkom’s failure to meet any regional targets highlight gaps in scalability and coverage.Customer experience results further reinforce the pressure on networks, with satisfaction levels reflecting differences in speed, reliability, and accessibility of services.Industry analysts warn that as Kenya’s digital economy expands—driven by streaming, mobile money, and online services—operators that fail to upgrade infrastructure risk falling further behind in both performance and market relevance.The findings position network capacity and scalability as the next major battleground in Kenya’s telecom sector, beyond traditional competition metrics like coverage and pricing.
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