After years of taking part in second fiddle to Safaricom, Airtel Kenya is gaining floor in cell subscriptions, web providers, and cell cash. With aggressive pricing, strategic enlargement, and a rising market share, the telco is positioning itself as an actual challenger in an trade lengthy dominated by a single participant.
Whereas Safaricom nonetheless controls 65.7% of Kenya’s cell market, Airtel’s 29.5% share exhibits sooner progress. Up to now yr alone, Airtel added 1.8 million SIM subscriptions, matching Safaricom’s progress—an uncommon shift in a market the place Safaricom has traditionally been the one telco persistently increasing its buyer base. However subscriber progress alone doesn’t inform the entire story. To compete, Airtel should deal with its long-standing income hole, community high quality points, and client belief in cell cash.
In 2025, Airtel launched a powerful push into the web market, undercutting rivals with cheaper bundles. Amid intensifying value wars—partly fueled by Starlink’s entry into Kenya—the telco doubled its information allocation for KES 1,000 ($7.7) and KES 2,000 ($15), providing 30GB and 60GB. Not like rivals, Airtel permits unused information to roll over, a key differentiator that has attracted budget-conscious customers.
Airtel can also be taking the battle to house web. In June 2024, it launched a conveyable 5G router that lets customers swap places simply—a direct problem to Safaricom’s mounted 5G service and legacy web suppliers like Zuku and JTL. Whereas each Safaricom and Airtel provide free routers to new clients, Safaricom’s house service is restricted to fibre-covered areas, whereas Airtel’s 5G service is extra versatile. Nevertheless, Airtel’s house web enterprise continues to be in its infancy and has but to rank amongst Kenya’s high ISPs, the place Safaricom leads with a 36.6% market share.
Considered one of Airtel’s largest challenges in Kenya has been poor community protection, particularly exterior main cities. Regardless of providing competitively priced providers, it has struggled with client notion of unreliable connectivity. In response, Airtel is aggressively increasing its infrastructure.
On February 11, 2025, the telco introduced it has 4,200 energetic community websites and plans so as to add 1,000 extra this yr. It has additionally deployed 690 5G websites throughout 39 counties, which nonetheless lags behind Safaricom’s 1,000+ 5G websites in all 47 counties.
If Airtel can shut the community high quality hole whereas sustaining decrease costs, it may convert subscribers into long-term clients moderately than dropping them as soon as promotional presents finish.
Airtel Cash has been one of many telco’s largest success tales previously yr, with its market share greater than doubling from 2.9% to 7.6% between September 2023 and September 2024. In the meantime, M-PESA’s share slipped from 97.1% to 92.3%.
The largest driver of this shift? Free Airtel Cash transfers. Not like M-PESA, which costs charges on transfers above KES 100 ($0.077), Airtel Cash’s zero-cost transfers have resonated with price-sensitive customers in an financial system the place inflation and job losses have squeezed family budgets. The telco has additionally expanded its agent community, rising accessibility by partnering with main retailers like Naivas.
However is that this progress sustainable? Many customers may use Airtel Cash without spending a dime transfers however nonetheless select M-PESA for higher-value transactions, enterprise funds, and financial savings. Whereas Airtel Cash is gaining traction, M-PESA stays deeply embedded in Kenya’s monetary system, with 365,000+ brokers and integrations throughout banks, companies, and authorities providers.
Airtel will want greater than free transfers to maintain customers engaged—improvements in service provider funds, lending, and financial savings merchandise can be vital if it desires to actually compete with M-PESA.
Whereas Airtel’s technique has boosted market share, its monetary efficiency stays unclear. The telco has not disclosed income figures, making it troublesome to evaluate whether or not its aggressive enlargement is translating into profitability.
In the meantime, Safaricom’s earnings stay unmatched. Within the half-year ending September 30, 2024, Safaricom reported a 13.1% year-on-year improve in internet income, reaching KES 179.9 billion ($1.4 billion). M-PESA alone contributed KES 77.22 billion ($597 million)—a sum possible exceeding Airtel Kenya’s complete income.
Traditionally, Airtel has relied on low costs to realize market share, however changing budget-conscious customers into high-spending clients stays difficult. If it fails to enhance monetisation, it may face the identical profitability struggles which have plagued its African operations for years.
