Kenyan internet market records 28% growth:

The number of Kenyan internet subscribers increased by 28.4 per cent in the three months leading to June 30 this year to reach 12.4 million, up from 9.6 million recorded in the previous quarter.

According to the CCK Quarterly Sector Statistics Report for the fourth quarter of the 2012/2013 financial year (April to June 2013) released today, the growth is attributed to numerous promotions and special offers on Internet/data by the mobile operators. 

The report further states that the coming periods are likely to record similar positive trends as internet uptake increases stimulated by the on-going ICT for schools project and increased investment in fibre optic networks across the country.

During the same period, the number of broadband subscriptions grew by 36.9 per cent from the previous quarter to reach 1.39 million. Compared to the same period last year, the sector realised a 92.5 per cent growth from 726,802 subscriptions.

“This growth in broadband subscriptions is expected to continue increasing as it indicates that customers are not only demanding for internet connections but higher capacity connections,” stipulates the report.

During the same period, the mobile phone industry in the country regained lost ground with the number of subscribers jumping 2.3 per cent from 29.8 million to 30.5 million. This increase could be attributed to a combination of new subscribers and possible re-subscription by those whose phones had been deactivated during the subscriber registration campaign. The report adds that owing to ease of access, the pre-paid services have continued to dominate mobile subscription, accounting for 99.0 per cent of the total mobile subscriptions.

Mobile money transfer subscribers increased from 23.2 million the previous quarter to 24.8 million the quarter under review, recording a 6.8 per cent growth, consistent with the positive subscriber growth patterns. The number of mobile money transfer agents jumped significantly to 88,466 during the quarter, up from 74,216 agents during the previous quarter, a growth of 19.2 per cent. The number of agents has almost doubled compared to the same period last year, which was recorded at 49,079.