IN SHORT: Safaricom doubled entry-level Home Fibre speeds from 15 Mbps to 40 Mbps and raised speeds across all other tiers at no extra cost to existing subscribers from April 30, 2026, as lower-cost competitors including Airtel Kenya and the newly launched Savanna Fibre began directly targeting its fixed broadband market. Prices remain unchanged across the most widely used tiers at KSh 3,000, KSh 4,100 and KSh 6,300. Safaricom covers more than 800,000 homes and leads the fixed internet market with 2.29 million subscriptions.
Safaricom has more than doubled its entry-level home internet speed without raising prices in the most direct competitive response it has made to the new generation of lower-cost fibre operators entering Kenya’s fixed broadband market, upgrading 800,000-plus homes and setting a new baseline for what affordable home internet looks like in East Africa’s most advanced digital economy.
The changes, announced on April 30 and effective immediately for existing subscribers, represent the most substantial revision to Safaricom’s Home Fibre lineup since the service launched. CEO Peter Ndegwa framed the upgrade as a value-driven response to rising household connectivity demands rather than a defensive competitive reaction, though the timing relative to new market entrants makes the competitive dimension unmistakable.
- The full speed revision runs across all tiers. The entry-level Bronze plan moves from 15 Mbps to 40 Mbps at KSh 3,000 per month ($23). Silver rises from 30 Mbps to 60 Mbps at KSh 4,100. Gold rises from 80 Mbps to 150 Mbps at KSh 6,300. The top-end Platinum plan at KSh 20,000 retains its gigabit speed. New subscribers on Bronze, Silver, Gold and Diamond plans also receive a 25% price reduction as a promotional offer for new connections, bringing Bronze to KSh 2,250 per month for those joining the network for the first time.
- The competitive pressure is acute and came from two directions simultaneously. Airtel Kenya, the country’s second-largest mobile operator, launched its Xstream Fibre service in late April, offering 15 Mbps at KSh 1,999 and 100 Mbps at KSh 4,999, undercutting Safaricom’s comparable plans on cost per Mbps. Then on May 1, Savanna Fibre launched residential fibre in Nairobi at KSh 2,000 for 100 Mbps, a benchmark that made even the revised Bronze pricing of KSh 2,250 for 40 Mbps look modest in raw cost-per-Mbps terms for Nairobi neighbourhoods where Savanna has fibre infrastructure.
- Safaricom’s competitive response is quality rather than price. By more than doubling Bronze speeds, the company is arguing that 40 Mbps at KSh 3,000 delivers better practical value than 100 Mbps at KSh 2,000 when reliability, customer service, national coverage and network stability are factored in. That argument holds for most of Kenya outside the select Nairobi postcodes where Savanna has laid cable. For the 800,000 homes already on Safaricom’s network, the upgrade is immediate and free.
- The upgrade directly addresses a reputational issue that had been accumulating since December 2025, when a Communications Authority report confirmed that Safaricom’s fixed internet ranked among the slowest globally for the price paid at the previous Bronze tier. Moving from 15 Mbps to 40 Mbps at the entry level corrects that comparative weakness at a stroke and positions Safaricom much more credibly against the benchmark that the Communications Authority had highlighted.
- Kenya’s fixed internet market is at an inflection point that mirrors what happened to mobile internet five years earlier: prices are falling, speeds are rising, and multiple operators are investing in infrastructure simultaneously. The beneficiary is the Kenyan household and the Kenyan business that depends on reliable internet for productivity, e-commerce and digital financial services. The competitive dynamic is structurally good for the digital economy even when it is uncomfortable for the incumbent operator.
- Safaricom’s 2.29 million fixed subscriptions give it a scale advantage that no new entrant can replicate quickly. Fibre infrastructure requires years of investment to build. Savanna and Airtel’s coverage is currently limited to specific Nairobi neighbourhoods. Safaricom covers 800,000 homes nationally. The loyalty and switching cost embedded in that coverage moat is substantial even as pricing competition intensifies.
CEO Ndegwa: “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.”
The Bigger Picture: Safaricom’s fibre speed upgrade is a competitive necessity dressed as a customer benefit. Both things are true. The underlying story is that Kenya’s fixed broadband market, which was effectively a Safaricom monopoly for years, is becoming genuinely competitive. That transition is uncomfortable for Safaricom’s margins and excellent for Kenya’s digital economy. A market where entry-level broadband costs $17 per month for 40 Mbps, with credible alternatives at lower prices, is a market that supports the digital businesses, remote workers, online learners and e-commerce activity that generate economic growth. The competitive pressure on Safaricom is, in the broadest sense, good news for Kenya.
