Kenya’s Mobile Sector Expands in Q1 2025 Showing Where Kenyans Spend the Most Time on Calls

Kenya’s mobile communications market continued its growth streak in the first quarter of 2025, logging higher voice and SMS traffic alongside a sharp rise in smartphone usage. Fresh data from the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) shows domestic voice minutes and SMS volumes edging up, while smartphone penetration reached new highs, shows an evidence that everyday life, commerce and government services are ever more tightly woven into mobile.

The big picture portrays more phones, more minutes, more messaging;

• Mobile usage is up: CA reports a steady uptick in domestic on-net and off-net voice minutes during the period, reflecting sustained demand for voice despite the dominance of data-driven apps.
• Smartphones surge: By the end of March 2025, smartphone penetration was about 80.8%, underscoring a user base increasingly equipped for 4G/5G services, richer apps, and mobile money.

Using CA’s latest sector performance figures summarized, here’s how the leading networks rank by average minutes of use per call (MoU) on on-net and off-net calls in Q1 2025

1. Airtel Networks Limited: 9 min on-net, 1.3 min off-net
2. Finserve (Equitel): 0 min on-net, 1.3 min off-net
3. Safaricom PLC: 6 min on-net, 1.4 min off-net
4. Telkom Kenya Limited: 5 min on-net, 1.2 min off-net
5. Jamii Telecommunications (Faiba): 1 min on-net, 1.4 min off-net

What the ranking suggests:

• Airtel customers tend to talk longest within their own network, hinting at strong in-network bundles or promotions.
• Safaricom and Jamii (Faiba) post the longest off-net averages, pointing to active inter-network calling among their users.

Voice-call is still embraced even in a data world. Even as OTT apps dominate day-to-day communication, voice minutes continue to rise in Kenya. Promotions, bundled offers and the practicality of a quick call, especially outside urban data sweet spots, keep voice-call relevant. Then as smartphones proliferate, users remain omnichannel; they message, stream, pay and still call when it’s faster or clearer to do so. However, what to watch next are the implicative dynamics:

• Tariff innovation: Expect more creative in-network and cross-network bundles as operators compete on value rather than just raw coverage.
• 4G/5G effects: As more Kenyans upgrade devices, voice quality (VoLTE), call setup times, and hybrid voice-data bundles should keep improving—possibly nudging call durations and habits further