Safaricom has raised internet speeds across all its Home Fibre packages without increasing monthly prices, upgrading baseline performance just as cheaper competitors move into the fixed broadband market that Kenya’s largest telco has long led.
The changes, announced on April 30, 2026, increase the entry-level plan from 15 megabits per second (Mbps) to 40 Mbps, while mid-tier packages move from 30 Mbps to 60 Mbps and from 80 Mbps to 150 Mbps. Prices remain unchanged across the most widely used tiers at KES 3,000 ($23), KES 4,100 ($31.50), and KES 6,300 ($48.50), while the top-end 500 Mbps and 1 Gbps plans continue at KES 12,500 ($96) and KES 20,000 ($154) respectively.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Peter Ndegwa framed the upgrade as a value-driven response to rising household connectivity demands. “As homes become increasingly connected, reliable high-speed internet is no longer a luxury but an essential service for modern living. By upgrading Home Fibre speeds, we are delivering greater value to our customers, strengthening our market leadership, and laying the foundation for smarter, more connected homes and communities across Kenya,” he said.
Safaricom’s Home Fibre network now covers more than 800,000 homes across Kenya and the operator holds a 34.9 percent share of the country’s fixed internet market, according to data from the Communications Authority of Kenya. Jamii Telecommunications Limited holds 20.1 percent, followed by Wananchi Group at 11.1 percent, with the remainder spread across smaller providers including Poa Internet, Ahadi Wireless, and Vilicom.
The speed upgrades arrive at a moment when that lead faces its most direct competitive pressure in years. Airtel Kenya, the country’s second-largest mobile operator, quietly launched its Xstream Fibre service in late April, offering 15 Mbps at KES 1,999 and 100 Mbps at KES 4,999, undercutting Safaricom’s comparable plans on price per Mbps. On May 1, 2026, Savanna Fibre went further, launching residential fibre in Nairobi at KES 2,000 for 100 Mbps, setting a new benchmark for price-per-Mbps that smaller incumbent plans cannot easily match on paper.
Safaricom’s previous 15 Mbps entry plan at KES 3,000 had become increasingly difficult to defend in that context, performing poorly on cost-per-Mbps comparisons and struggling to serve multi-device households. The decision to raise speeds rather than cut tariffs is a deliberate one. By lifting the Bronze tier to 40 Mbps, Safaricom brings its cheapest plan into a range that comfortably supports simultaneous streaming, video calls, and everyday usage across multiple devices, reducing the incentive to switch for performance alone.
The mid-tier adjustment tells a similar story. Moving Silver from 30 Mbps to 60 Mbps narrows the gap with competitors at the segment where most consumption and most switching decisions occur, without triggering a wider pricing war that would erode margins across its subscriber base.
The top-end tiers remain untouched. Demand for 500 Mbps and 1 Gbps connections remains limited, and the competitive pressure at those price points is far lower.
The upgrade reduces Safaricom’s effective price per Mbps across its most popular plans, which is the metric competitors have been using most aggressively to attract customers. Whether that is sufficient to hold the line depends on execution. If Safaricom can sustain the upgraded speeds consistently across its network, particularly during peak usage hours when performance most influences switching decisions, the strategy strengthens its position without yielding on revenue. If it cannot, rivals already competing on price will have a clearer opening to attract customers with both lower costs and comparable speeds.
