Zuku, the Wananchi-owned company has reclaimed the top spot in fixed internet connections from Safaricom in the three months since December 2019 to control 35 percent of the market, latest industry data at our disposal.
Communications Authority of Kenya said Zuku had 175,433 fixed home and internet connections as at end of December while Safaricom had 165,810 connections.
This shows that Zuku’s subscribers grew by 23,885 in the review period compared to Safaricom’s 11, 207. Safaricom had emerged top in the quarter to September overtaking Safaricom with the leadership switch reflecting heightened competition between the two for control of the local fixed internet market. Other players in the industry trailing the two.
Zuku is taking its rightful position since Safaricom toppled it from the top position in the second quarter last year, since entering the fixed data market since entering the segment in 2017.
Its market share stood 33 percent in December compare to 34 percent in September of 2019, the report shows.
“During the period under review, fibre-to-the-office/home data/internet subscriptions recorded the highest number of broadband subscriptions,” the regulator said in the report.
10.2 Percent Increase
The report also shows that fixed internet connections crossed the half-a-million mark for the first time to hit 501,455 customers, reflecting a rise of 10.2 percent from the three months ended September propelled by increased investments by Telco’s to link more offices, institutions and homes to internet.
Zuku and Safaricom grew their connections by 1.7 and 0.2 percent respectfully in the quarter to December 2019.
The two Telco’s have been locked in a price war for market share growth as the two look at tapping into a market occasioned by rising demand for fibre-based internet for people working from homes and households seeing it as a necessity for entertainment.
Jamii Telecommunications, with 78,149 connections during the same period, came in third in the fixed internet connections reflecting a 17 percent increase from the three-month ending September 2019.
