Mobile network companies in Kenya: Complete guide to Safaricom, Telkom, Airtel, Equitel and Jamii

 

Here you will get complete details on the major mobile networks in Kenya and the services they offer. These services include short message services (SMS), calling services, data bundles, and mobile money services offered by the four main telecommunication companies in Kenya. This is Safaricom, Airtel Kenya, Telkom Kenya and Equitel.

 

The mobile network revolution in Kenya in the last few years has created many options for mobile users, for both smartphone and feature phones (kabambe), to have mobile communication easily. At the same time, this has made it overwhelming for Kenyans to choose the best mobile network for them. Especially given the many options that they are given by the four main telecom companies, Safaricom, Airtel, Telkom and Equitel are very competitive.

Telephone communications networks are widely regarded as the backbone of the information society critical to the economy’s growth. Kenya’s telecommunication industry has experienced tremendous growth over the past years. This haste in development can be attributed to the fact that most people own a mobile phone particularly, in urban areas.

In this article, we go through all four telecom companies in Kenya and highlight the main services that they offer. We do this in a simple and detailed manner that will help you, the user, easily makes an informed decision on which mobile network offers you the best service at the best price.

A mobile phone network is also known as a cellular network or mobile network and refers to a communication network where the link to and from end nodes is wireless. In this case, the end nodes mostly refer to your mobile phones and devices.

In 2015, the Communications Authority of Kenya reported that the total number of mobile subscriptions was 34.79 million.

At saidia, we shall breakdown what services each and every mobile network offers. This will include:

• Call services
  
• SMS services
  
• Internet and Data bundles for browsing the internet
  
• Mobile Money transfer and services
  
• Mobile phones and consumer electronics
  
• Online shopping / Online stores / Ecommerce
  
• Rates charged for the different services.
  

 

Mobile networks in Kenya:

Many telecommunication companies have been established in Kenya ever since the beginning of the 20^th century. However, the telecommunication sector is dominated by four key players. These four telecom companies are Safaricom, Airtel, Telkom, and Equitel. Each telecommunication company has its market share depending on its products and how each satisfies consumer needs.

What are mobile networks?

 

Safaricom

Safaricom Plc was formerly known as Safaricom Limited and was formed in 1993. With 35.6 million users, as of 2020, Safaricom is the largest mobile network operator in Kenya and commands 64.5% of the Kenyan Mobile market share.

Currently, it is owned by shareholders, the Kenyan government, and Vodafone. Safaricom offers telecommunication services such as; fixed and mobile voice, Internet and data bundles, short message service (SMS), corporate solutions, and mobile money transfer services (m-pesa). Other services offered by Safaricom include music streaming services, cloud hosting, domains, and security services.

Brands that stand out in the portfolio of Safaricom include MPESA, Masoko, Fuliza, Mshwari, and DigiFarm.

Main Services offered by Safaricom Kenya:

 

Mobile Phone Calls

Need to make a phone call quickly and conveniently in Kenya? It could either be for personal reasons or for business. Then Safaricom has the mobile phone call service also known as voice.

With the steady decrease in the number of landlines, mobile phones have seen an increase in Kenya. The reason for this, mobile phones are highly portable and bring convenience.

The primary service that Safaricom offers is Mobile phone calls. As a mobile network, it has nearly monopolized the market, due to its good network coverage across the country and offering amazing deals.

Safaricom has over 60 per cent market reach in Kenya and over 35 million subscribers and controls over 60 per cent of the voice market share.

Safaricom has two significant types of phone call types, which are local and international. Local phone calls can be made within the country, while international calls are made outside the country.

The standard call rates for local calls go for as low as Kshs. 4.00 per minute. International call rates have different packages per minute depending on the consumer’s preference.

For local calls, some of their offers include the tunukiwa talk time offers and the double talk time to all networks.

For international calls offered by Safaricom, here are options mobile phone users can get:

• 6 minutes @ Kshs 19 for 24hours.
  
• 40 minutes @ Kshs 99 valid for seven days.
  
• 170 minutes @ Kshs 399 valid for 30 days.
  

Note: International calling bundles are only available for few countries. This includes calls to the USA, China, Canada, and India.

 

SMS Messages

SMS (short message service) is a text message service segment of the mobile networks. The service lets users send and receive messages of up to 160 characters to and from GSM mobiles. It encompasses regulated communication protocols which allow mobile gadgets to share short text messages.

Safaricom has a well-structured messaging system. A user can choose between using a short message service (SMS) and the Multi-Media Messaging Service (MMS).

With SMS, Safaricom offers the service for messages sent off the network or on the network. The standard cost of sending a text message is Kshs 1 if no SMS bundle package is purchased. Usually, messaging off-network is more costly than on-network. The different types of SMS package include:

• 20 SMS @ Kshs 5 valid for 24hrs.
  
• 200 SMS @ Kshs 10 valid for 24hrs.
  
• 1500 SMS @ Kshs 100 valid for 30 days.
  

In addition to that, Safaricom messaging platform provides room for either bulk or single contact messaging. Some companies use Safaricom messaging services as a direct marketing tool. These companies send targeted messages to Safaricom clients, which may or may not turn into direct conversions.

SMS and MMS

Safaricom short messaging system (SMS) has a maximum of 160 characters per short message, whereas the multimedia messaging service has a 1600-character limit. Additionally, through multimedia messaging, one can send a text message accompanied by a multimedia product such as a photo, video, and Graphic Interface Format (GIFs).

The Safaricom line also supports archiving of messages. The messaging service is affordable and its affordability relies on the length and size of messages.

Line users can also seek customer support through messaging platforms other than the call helplines.

Internet: Data, Bundles and fixed fiber internet

 

Access to the internet has become very important in this day and age and Safaricom has taken note of this and offered products to match. The services that enable them to provide internet are wireless i.e 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G or cabled, through Safaricom fibre.

Safaricom offers different ways to access the internet either through the purchase of data bundles or using fixed internet solutions. Data bundles can be offered for compatible mobile phones, smartphones, or Wi-Fi routers. Fixed internet solutions are offered through fibre networks for home solutions, small businesses, and corporate.

Safaricom is the first telecom company in the country to have 3G internet connectivity and the recent success of 4G/LTE technology in all significant places in Kenya.

The cost of Safaricom data is affordable to everyone from as little as Kshs 5, depending on the user’s needs. The company also offers different types of data bundle packages. Safaricom data bundles are broadly categorized as either daily plan, weekly plan, or monthly plans. They also offer data bundles without expiry.

Safaricom Data Bundles Prices

1. Daily plan
   

1. Weekly plan
   

1. Monthly Bundles
   

1. 1. Blaze Bundles
      

      	Resources	Price	Bonga Points	Validity
      Blaze Daily Bundle	25MB + 25SMS	10/=	25	24 hours
      	70MB + 70SMS + WHATSAPP	20/=	70	24 hours
      	200MB + 200 SMS + WHATSAPP	50/=	200	24 hours
      	1GB +200SMS+ WHATSAPP	100/=	1000	24 hours
      Power Hour	Power Hour 250MB	19/=	250	1 hour
      Blaze Weekly Bundle	350 MB + WHATSAPP	99/=	350	7 days
      	1GB+ WHATSAPP	250/=	1000	7 days
      	4GB+ WHATSAPP	500/=	4000	7 days
      Blaze Monthly Bundle	3GB + WHATSAPP	500/=	3000	30 days
      	7.5GB+ WHATSAPP	1000/=	7500	30 days
      	20GB + WHATSAPP	2000/=	2000	30 days

       

1. Home Fibre Packages
   

In a recent report by ookla speed test, Safaricom registered a speed score of 29.80 as well as the top mobile Consistency Score of 86.3%. Also, the mobile network has the highest 4G availability across the country at 88.1%. Additionally, the mobile network operator has invested in a wide range of networks; second-generation (2G) network, third-generation (3G) network, fourth-generation (4G) network, and lately the fifth-generation (5G) network.

Mpesa: Mobile Money Transfer

 

Mobile money transfer has grown in Kenya in the last 10 years and Safaricom is at the forefront with its service, M-pesa.

M-Pesa is a mobile phone-operated money transfer service, micro-financing, and payment service, started in 2007 by Vodafone Group plc and Safaricom, the country’s dominant network provider.

M-Pesa allows users to withdraw, deposit, transfer money, purchase airtime, access credit, and savings, pay for goods and services (Lipa na M-Pesa) all on your mobile phone. You can do this by using the USSD SIM TOOL Kit option, using the mySafaricom app, or using the dedicated M-pesa app.

To access M-Pesa services, one has to register the line with Safaricom and activate MPESA services. Through MPESA, one can send, receive and withdraw money.

Safaricom has also partnered with Kenyan banks to offer comprehensive banking services like loans, insurance, and interest-bearing accounts. All this is available in m-pesa through mshwari and KCB M-pesa.

Safaricom’s mpesa mobile money solution is available in the following countries:

• Mozambique
  
• Tanzania
  
• Lesotho
  
• Egypt
  
• Ghana
  
• South Africa
  
• Afghanistan.
  

However, operations in Romania, India, and Albania have been discontinued due to poor market uptake.

.

Cost of Transaction

Transacting with M-Pesa largely depends on the amount of money being transacted and whether the cash receiver is a client of Safaricom or on another mobile network.

Mpesa transaction costs cover withdrawal from M-pesa agent, transferring money to unregistered users, transfer to registered mpesa users, Pochi la Biashara, business Till, ATM withdrawal, and other transactions.

Withdrawal charges also apply range from Kshs 10, charged for withdrawals of Kshs 50-100 and up to Kshs 330 for withdrawals of Kshs 50,001-70,000.

Money can also be transferred from Safaricom to other network providers like Airtel, Telkom, and Equitel.

The table below shows the transaction costs for mpesa:

Withdrawal from M-pesa Agent

Transfer to Unregistered Users

Transfer to other M-Pesa Users, Pochi La Biashara and Business Till to Customers

ATM Withdrawal

Other Transactions

Mpesa Transaction Limit

Mpesa transaction limit for mpesa registered users is 300,000 Ksh while the transaction to a non-registered user is Kshs 35000 with a charge of Kshs 275. The maximum amount you can send on mpesa in one transaction is Kshs 150,000.

Masoko: Ecommerce and Online Shopping

 

 

With the growing pace of online shopping in Kenya, Safaricom launched an e-commerce platform known as Masoko.

The Safaricom group started Masoko, a Swahili word for “markets,” in November 2017 to give local traders an online platform to sell their merchandise to mobile phone and computer gadget users in Kenya.

Masoko has helped open up the e-commerce market in the country. On the Masoko platform, users can also purchase products using Safaricom’s Bonga points. The more the Bonga points, the better the product. Safaricom offers 24/7 customer support on the platform to assist in customer inquiries and order tracking.

In every purchase, Safaricom earns a commission. Delivery of goods services purchased on the masoko eCommerce platform is available. The cost of delivery is billed alongside the commodity cost.

Consumer electronics: mobile phones, routers, and laptops

 

Safaricom has, in recent times, innovated electronic devices that satisfy different consumer needs. Some consumer electronics are mobile phones, routers, laptops, M-kopa solar panels, television sets, radio, and mobile phone accessories. All these products can be accessed and retrieved from Safaricom dealers across the country.

This is in their quest to fill the untapped market in the country and ensuring consumer satisfaction.

The devices can be bought at Safaricom shops or accessed on credit. The recently introduced smartphones can be acquired by the registered users who meet the criteria for lipa mdogo mdogo. This service allows users to pay as little as Kshs 20 for smartphones. Some devices can also be acquired by redeeming Bonga points earned by topping up airtime overtime.

The M-kopa service, on the other hand, targets the marginalized areas that hardly receive electricity. With a manageable deposit of as low as Kshs 3000, one can acquire an M-kopa package that comes along with a solar panel, bulbs, and even television. The company has developed a payment scheme for different m-kopa packages that are pocket-friendly.

Bonga Points

 

Safaricom Bonga points is a loyalty scheme system offered to all its mobile subscribers both on Prepay and post-pay. Mobile phone users on the network earn one Bonga point for every Kshs. 10 spent on the Safaricom network.

To sign up for Bonga points, you dial *126# and you start earning points immediately.

AIRTEL

Airtel is one of the mobile network operators that are registered to operate in Kenya. They do this by offering a variety of telecommunication services, such as mobile calls, SMS, mobile internet bundles, and mobile money.

It is an Indian multinational telecom service provider with its headquarters in New Delhi, Delhi, NCT, India. It has operations in 18 countries across Africa and South Asia. Airtel network offers 2G, 4G LTE, 4G+ mobile connectivity, voice services, and fixed-line broadband.

Airtel is the second-largest telecom service provider in Kenya after Safaricom PLC, with an estimated 16.2 million subscribers of the total 59.8 million subscribers in Kenyan markets. That makes the mobile network serve up to 27.2% market share in the country.

Initially, Airtel Kenya was in operation as Kencell, Celtel, and zain, which later rebranded to Airtel in November 2010.

Airtel Kenya offers mobile phone calls, SMS services, money transfers, browsing, and even selling electronics.

Mobile Phone Calls

Airtel provides mobile phone call services to its clients across the country at a cheaper cost than its competitor, Safaricom PLC. The reason for offering such affordable prices is because of the heavy competition in the mobile network market in Kenya.

Airtel Kenya provides both local and international mobile phone calls. The standard local call rate is Kshs 2 per minute across all networks. However, with other better services like Tubonge, which gives its users 100 minutes of talk time at Kshs 10, airtel Kenya has seen its subscribers grow massively.

In addition, the mobile network offers a variety of international call bundles to their subscribers. This allows them to make calls to friends, business partners, and family abroad at affordable rates. To subscribe to Airtel International Call Bundles, one has to dial *146#.

SMS: Airtel Messaging Services

SMS stands for short message service. It is a service that Airtel offers on its networks that enables customers to send messages from phone to phone via their GSM network. This service lets users send and receive messages of up to 160 characters to and from GSM mobile phones.

When not subscribed to any SMS packages, airtel charges Kshs 1 per SMS. However, there are better deals than this telecom service provider gives its users. The SMS packages include:

Airtel messaging system has a maximum of 160 characters per short message, whereas the multimedia messaging service 1600-character limit just like their counterparts Safaricom PLC.

In addition, through multimedia messaging, one can send a text message accompanied by a multimedia product such as a photo, video, and Graphic Interface Format (GIFs).

Airtel Kenya internet: Internet Bundles and fiber

 

Airtel Kenya is the second largest telecom company in Kenya; it provides fast and reliable internet connectivity in areas with its network coverage.

With the recent boom of social media applications e.g. Facebook, WhatsApp, IG, Snapchat, Kenya has seen a rapid uptake of smartphones gives them a direct path to accessing the internet. This has increased the demand for data usage. Airtel as a mobile network has, in turn, positioned itself as the smartphone network.

However, Airtel is yet to explore marginalized locales around the country.

Additionally, airtel boasts cheaper data packages across the country, which has also seen its users increase gradually as they improved their network coverage. The mobile network offers packages that range from 24 hours validity period to 90 days validity period depending on the user’s needs. The table below shows different data bundles packages.

Daily Data Bundles (24Hrs Validity)

7 Day Data Bundles

30 Day Data Bundles

90 Days Data Bundles

Subscribers of airtel can access the internet either through their data-enabled smartphones, routers such us airtel smart home and Airtel 4G mi-fi. Not only that, but airtel also offers fiber internet to the home in select areas in Kenya.

Mobile Money transfer through airtel money

Airtel also has a money transfer service like Safaricom’s M-Pesa called Airtel money. With this money transfer service by Airtel, it is effortless to register. All you need is an airtel sim card, a passport, or a national identification card.

With airtel money, one can perform several tasks: sending money to any network in Kenya, purchasing airtime, ‘lipa na airtel’ services, withdrawals of cash, bill payments, and mobile banking.

Airtel Money Charges

Below, find a breakdown of airtel money charges and the cost of transaction.

Telkom

Telkom is one of the mobile network operators that are registered to operate in Kenya. They do this by offering a variety of telecommunication services, such as mobile call, SMS, mobile internet bundles, and mobile money.

Initially, it was one of the Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (KPTC), the major telecommunication and postal services provider. The company was established in 1999 as a telecommunication provider after KPTC split into the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK), The Postal Corporation of Kenya (Posta), and Telkom Kenya.

Currently, Helios investments Partners own most shares in the company, of 60%, while Kenyans hold the remaining stake via the Kenyan government.

Telkom gives mobile connectivity and services to individual people, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), large corporations in the country, and the government.

The mobile company in Kenya draws from a comprehensive solutions suite encompassing data, voice, mobile money, and network services.

Telkom voice and call services

Telkom Kenya offers different voice packages to its customers to make calls on its network and other networks i.e. on-net and off-net.

In 2018, Telkom Kenya launched the lowest voice bundle across all networks. This came as a sigh of relief to its users as they can make calls for as low as Kshs 1.50 cents per minute. The packages, grouped into four tiers, will have the users pay Kes 19 for a daily bundle and Kshs 199 for a 30-day bundle.

Some of the voice offers include:

 

Telkom Kenya Mobile phone internet and data bundles

 

Telkom Kenya is widely known for its data and internet offers across the country. It targets both levels of consumer levels, from bottom to top. With high speeds and good connectivity, Telkom mobile internet has stood out in the Kenyan market share.

The following are some data bundles and internet packages available on Telkom Kenya

Telkom Money (T-kash)

 

This is a mobile money transfer service similar to mpesa offered by Safaricom. T-kash enables Telkom Kenya subscribers to send, receive money and also pay for different utilities.

T-Kash is a Telkom Kenya money transfer service that allows the user to do the following:

• Pay utility bills
  
• Sending and receiving the money to and from all networks in Kenya
  
• Withdraw, deposit, and keep a record of your money
  
• Buy airtime for you and others.
  
• Buy Telkom data bundles directly without having to buy airtime
  
• Shopping at known outlets
  
• Easy access to most used biller numbers like KPLC, StarTimes NHIF, DSTV, etc. from your menu
  

To register a T-Kash account, one needs to have a Kenyan National ID, valid passport, Alien passport, and Telkom mobile number.

The maximum value per transaction on T-Kash is Kshs 150,000, and the maximum wallet limit is Kshs 300,000, maximum Daily total transaction value is Kshs 300,000. The table below shows the transaction rates of T-kash.

Transaction charges for T-Kash are found below according to the Tariff of March 2021.

Equitel

Equitel is one of the mobile network operators that are registered to operate in Kenya. They do this by offering a variety of telecommunication services, such as mobile call, SMS, mobile internet bundles, and mobile money.

Equitel is a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) in Kenya. It is owned by the Equity Group Holdings while using the Airtel Kenya network as its carrier. Equitel differs from the other three major mobile networks in that it uses already setup mobile operator infrastructure. The chosen partner, as highlighted above is Airtel.

With Equitel, users can make telephone calls, send and receive money, buy airtime, get instant loans, bill payments, and so many other services.

Send money using Equitel

Sending money in Equitel is free and has lower transaction charges than Safaricom’s M-pesa. This can be attributed to the fact that mobile banking has increasingly become competitive.

Equitel also has zero charges when checking for account balance, contrary to m-pesa, which charges its users every time they check their balance. Transferring money to an Equitel account is also free of charge. The transaction limit of Equitel stands at Kshs 1 million, with free transfers of up to Kshs 300,000 per transaction.

Below are the Equitel Kenya charges and transaction rates:

		SEND TO AIRTEL MONEY/ MPESA
TRANSACTION RANGE (KSHS)	SEND TO EQUITEL/ ORANGE MONEY (KSHS)	CHARGES BY EQUITEL (TAX INC) (KSHS)	CHARGES BY OTHER NETWORKS (TAX INC) (KSHS)	TOTAL CHARGE (KSHS)
50-100	0	1.10	33.00	34.10
101-500	0	5.50	33.00	38.50
501-1000	0	11.00	33.00	44.00
1001-1500	0	16.50	33.00	49.50
1501-35000	0	27.50	33.00	60.50

Equitel Voice and Call Service

As a mobile network, Equitel offers its subscribers mobile to mobile phone calls. Need to make a phone call quickly and conveniently in Kenya? It could either be for personal reasons or for business. Then Equitel has the mobile phone call service also known as voice.

The mobile network offers both local and international phone services.

Compared to safaricom, which charges Kshs 25 per minute when it comes to international calls Equitel offers cheaper international calls. Equitel, on the other hand, charges Kshs 4 per minute for calls within East Africa.

SMS:

SMS stands for short message service. It is a service that Equitel offers on its networks that enables customers to send messages from phone to phone via their network. This service lets users send and receive messages of up to 160 characters to and from mobile phones.

Sending SMS via Equitel will cost the user Kshs 1 to all networks.

Equitel Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO)

Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) licensed Equitel to undertake operations as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) in Kenya and has been approved by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) to offer transaction services. MVNO is a distinct network operator with distinctive products and services but depends on another operator’s network.

Equitel Network Coverage

Due to its operation as an MVNO, the network quality and reach are equal to that of Airtel. It shares Airtel’s network strengths and lowlights. Airtel having a good network reach, gives Equitel Kenya nationwide coverage.

Equitel Data Bundles

Besides Equitel being known for its money transfer services, it also offers good mobile internet with reasonable speeds at very affordable rates, just like Safaricom, Airtel, and Telkom companies. The daily internet package comes with an SMS bundles package, an offer exclusive to Equitel only.

Below is the table showing the data packages offered by equitel:

 

Conclusion

Mobile networks in Kenya have really made the mobile space competitive and added value to consumers. The reason for this is because coverage has increased, they offer additional services and the technology has improved. With the improvement, we have seen 3G, 4G and 5G coverage increase in the country making phone calls clearer and internet speeds faster. In addition, mobile networks offer services such as mobile money, e-commerce, banking and loyalty programs. These mobile networks; Safaricom, Airtel, Telkom Kenya and Equitel, have substantially improved the quality of life for Kenyans.

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