Airtel Kenya has made significant strides in the mobile telecommunications market, as evidenced by the latest data from the Communications Authority of Kenya.
Between January and March 2024, the company saw an impressive increase in postpaid subscribers, becoming the greatest beneficiary in the postpaid segment.
Impressive Growth in Postpaid Subscribers.
The number of postpaid subscribers in Kenya increased by 22,069 in the first quarter of 2024. Airtel’s postpaid subscriber base grew from 104,467 in December 2023 to 128,242 by the end of March 2024, marking a remarkable gain of 23,775 new subscribers.
This growth highlights Airtel’s successful strategies in attracting more customers to its postpaid services.
Decline for Safaricom and Telkom
While Airtel experienced growth, its competitors saw a decline in their postpaid subscriber numbers.
Safaricom, despite its dominance in the postpaid segment, lost 1,518 customers, bringing its total to 1,136,430 subscribers.
Similarly, Telkom saw a drop in subscribers from 11,000 to 10,812 in the same period.
Overall Market Expansion
The overall number of active mobile (SIM) subscriptions in Kenya increased from 66.7 million in December 2023 to 68.0 million by the end of March 2024. This translates to a penetration rate of 132.1 percent, attributed to effective customer win-back campaigns during the period.
Mobile Money Growth
In addition to the growth in mobile subscriptions, mobile money subscriptions also saw a rise. By the end of March 2024, there were 38.7 million mobile money subscriptions, translating to a penetration rate of 75.0 percent.
This growth is partly due to the removal of withdrawal codes for transactions sent from M-Pesa to Airtel Money, allowing for direct transfers into Airtel Money accounts.
