New data from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) reveals that Kenyans spent an unprecedented 27.4 billion minutes on voice calls between October and December 2024. The rise in call durations is attributed to competitive calling rates and the continued expansion of mobile network coverage.
According to the report, Airtel Kenya subscribers led in call durations, speaking nearly twice as long as Safaricom users. CA attributes this trend to Airtel’s affordable call rates and promotional offers.
Airtel Users Talk Longer
The data shows that an average Airtel-to-Airtel call lasted 2.7 minutes, compared to 1.6 minutes for Safaricom and 1.5 minutes for Telkom Kenya users.
Overall, subscribers of Safaricom, Airtel, and Telkom increased their call durations by 4.6 percent compared to the 26.2 billion minutes recorded in the preceding quarter ending in September 2024.
The report further notes that Kenyans made an average of 298 million minutes of calls daily during the review period, highlighting a surge in mobile phone usage.
What’s Driving the Growth?
The Communications Authority attributes the rising call volumes to enticing promotional offers from service providers. Some companies, for instance, allowed customers to purchase bundles at just KSh20, which included 10 minutes of all-network calls, 20 SMS, and 50MB of data.
Mobile Penetration at an All-Time High
The growth in mobile usage extends beyond voice calls. CA data indicates that Kenya had 72 million mobile devices in circulation by December 2024, comprising 41.4 million smartphones and 30.5 million feature phones.
In the same period, mobile data subscriptions increased to 56.1 million, up from 53.7 million in the previous quarter. This rise is linked to higher demand for digital services such as video streaming, online learning, and remote work, which have accelerated the adoption of high-speed networks like 4G and 5G.
Kenya’s mobile penetration rate has now reached a record 135.8 percent, driven by improved network infrastructure, lower smartphone costs, and better mobile services.
Experts suggest that further reducing taxes on internet-enabled devices could make smartphones more accessible, boosting digital connectivity and unlocking opportunities in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.
