Kenya’s active mobile subscriptions have climbed to nearly 88 million, exceeding the country’s population as individuals and businesses continue to use multiple SIM cards for different networks and services.
The number of active subscriptions reached 87.999 million by the end of June, representing a 4.6 percent increase from the previous year, according to the Communications Authority of Kenya. Mobile penetration also rose to 165 percent from 146.3 percent a year earlier.
The increase comes as smartphones continue to replace traditional feature phones across the country. By June, Kenya had 52.26 million smartphones, while the number of feature phones dropped to 27.42 million. In total, 79.7 million mobile devices were connected to networks, giving the country a device penetration rate of 149.4 percent.
The regulator linked the growing smartphone adoption partly to the wider availability of 4G and 5G networks, while feature phone usage continued to decline.
Kenya’s changing mobile habits are also reshaping how people use their phones. Mobile devices are no longer mainly tools for calls and text messages but have become important gateways to financial services, online shopping, entertainment, government services and business applications.
Mobile data subscriptions rose to 64.26 million by June, up from 58.6 million a year earlier. Broadband services accounted for 85.5 percent of those subscriptions, with 4G remaining the most widely used broadband technology.
Data consumption on 4G and 5G networks also continued to increase, while the use of 3G services declined as more subscribers moved towards faster connections.
The changing communication pattern is also reflected in voice and SMS usage. Domestic voice traffic increased by 13.6 percent during the financial year to 126.7 billion minutes. SMS traffic, however, fell slightly by 0.3 percent to 57.1 billion messages.
The decline in traditional text messaging has been linked partly to the growing popularity of internet based messaging platforms such as WhatsApp.
Mobile money remains another major part of Kenya’s digital economy. Subscriptions reached 54 million by June, translating to 101.3 percent penetration after growing by 13.2 percent during the year.
Safaricom continued to dominate the market, accounting for 69.8 percent of mobile subscriptions and 64.4 percent of mobile broadband subscriptions at the end of June. The company also handled 88.8 percent of mobile money transfers.
The wider mobile services industry generated KSh440.9 billion in revenue in 2025, representing a 3.6 percent increase. Services such as mobile money, roaming, bulk SMS and airtime credit accounted for 42.8 percent of total mobile service revenue.
Data contributed 28.2 percent, voice accounted for 25.6 percent, while SMS made up 3.4 percent.
The figures highlight a major shift in Kenya’s telecommunications industry, with growth increasingly driven by smartphones, mobile data, financial technology and digital platforms rather than traditional voice calls and text messages.
For mobile operators, the continued expansion of smartphones and broadband provides a larger market for digital products and services. For consumers and businesses, it means more everyday activities can now be carried out through mobile applications.
Kenya’s 2025/26 financial year therefore ended with more mobile connections, greater smartphone adoption and stronger use of broadband and mobile financial services, further cementing mobile technology’s role in the country’s rapidly evolving digital economy.
